Wakefield coach Daryl Powell accused Hull counterpart John Cartwright of influencing referee James Vella after Trinity squandered a 10-0 lead to lose 16-10 in east Yorkshire.
Wakefield took charge of the contest in the first half but the tables were turned after the break as Zak Hardaker, Jordan Rapana and Lewis Martin all touched down within the space of a dozen minutes to give Hull their first home win in nearly a year.
Even though Powell laid the blame for Wakefield’s loss on their second-half performance, he suspects Vella could have been affected by what he overheard from Cartwright as the players made their way to the tunnel at the interval.
“I didn’t like what happened at half-time with the referee, the influence of walking up and down saying how much the penalty count is,” Powell told Sky Sports post-match.
“It’s [penalty count] 8-0 in the second half. I think Hull deserve to win on the second-half performance, but I’ve never seen a game like it to be honest.
“I think influencing like that is not great. John’s walking up and down, influencing the referee. It happens, I get it. I’ve done it in the past, but I don’t think it should work. It’s worked and the game’s completely flipped on its head.
“I think some of that is Hull, some of that I don’t get it. We’ve not got a penalty in the second half, they didn’t get one in the first. What’s the flow of the game? I don’t get it. It’s disappointing.”
Cartwright vehemently denied the claim after Hull leapfrogged Wakefield into sixth in the table.
Cartwright told media: “Did Daryl say that? He’s one to talk, isn’t he! I didn’t influence the referee, I didn’t talk to the referee at all. I didn’t say a word to the referee.”
Asked if he might have said something that could have then been overheard by Vella, Cartwright said: “That’s a different story. I didn’t talk to the referee.
“We didn’t get anything in the first half. We didn’t get a penalty or a six to go. I was questioning our players about fighting in the ruck as they were walking up the tunnel.”
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John Cartwright praised his players’ effort for ending their home winless streak
Hull had lost 11 and drawn one since they last prevailed at the MKM Stadium on July 20 last year, with their previous eight wins in 2025 being on the road to keep their hopes of a top-six finish alive.
A relieved Cartwright added: “You can talk all you like about it not being there but it’s there. The fact is we hadn’t won a game at home for a long time. I’m really pleased we don’t have to talk about that any more.”
Super League Round 18 Results and Fixtures (all live on Sky Sports)
Thursday July 10
Friday July 11
- 7.30pm: Leeds Rhinos vs St Helens (kick-off at 8pm)
- 8pm: Wigan Warriors vs Huddersfield Giants
Saturday July 12
- 3pm: Leigh Leopards vs Hull KR
- 6pm: Catalans Dragons vs Warrington Wolves
Sunday July 13
- 3pm: Salford Red Devils vs Castleford Tigers
Watch every Super League game this season live on Sky Sports – including two matches in each round exclusively live, with the remaining four matches each week shown on Sky Sports+ via the red button.
