Super League games don't get any bigger than this.

Second placed Warrington Wolves welcomed league leading Hull FC to the Halliwell-Jones for a battle royal and an important indicator in the battle for the minor premiership. A win for FC would see them open up a four point gap at the top, but a sixteen point win for the Wolves would see them up into top spot.

Both sides had close to full strength squads, and both went into the game optimistic about picking up the crucial two points.

The opening exchanges were a comedy of errors with dropped balls and knock-on. On three minutes Chris Sandow put in a speculative kick which Jamie Shaul spooned in the air as he tried to collect, straight into the path of an on-rushing Gene Ormsby to dive on the ball and slide over. Kurt Gidley hit the left upright as he failed to add the two.

The scores were level on twelve when Fetuli Talanoa was on the overlap at the end of a width of the field passing move to round the defence and score in the left corner. Marc Sneyd kicked the touchline conversion to edge his side in front. Gidley split the posts with the conversion for 10-6.

On nineteen Benjamin Jullien charged down a Sneyd Hull FC kick, collected the bouncing ball, and went twenty metres before passing to the supporting Chris Sandow to run another twenty metres and dive over.

Seven minutes from the interval and FC took full benefit from a Wolves drop out. Mark Minichiello went twenty-five metres, stepping out of two tackles and palming off the full back to score. Sneyd kicked the extras and once again, his side had the lead going into the interval. All that was between the sides was a single conversion.

The errors continued in the second half. Early in the half and Sneyd spilled a kick through all Daryl Clark had to do was pick up and ground but he fumbled the collect, knocking-on.

On the hour mark the Wolves were back on level terms following a Gareth Ellis ball strip as Gidley kicked the penalty. We were tied up at 12-12 and into the last twenty minutes.

Four minutes later, Ellis made amends when he spun out of two tackles to drop on the line, directly under the sticks. Sneyd added the extras for 18-12.

Six from the end and Tuimavave slid a drop goal wide as the Warrington defence closed down the usual goal kickers. Three minutes later and Hull engineered the field position for Marc Sneyd to slot over a drop goal and put his side four points clear of Warrington at the top.

It was close and exciting but the handling resembled a contest between the bottom two rather than those at the summit of the league. Neither side seemed to want to keep hold of the ball and throughout the whole eighty it resembled a bar of soap. With Wigan snatching a last minute win over KR, the lead at the top is just the two points, but FC are looking like the real deal in 2016.

Wolves: Ratchford, Ormsby (T), Evans, Atkins, Lineham, Gidley (2G), Sandow (T), Hill, Clark, Sims, Currie, Jullien, Westerman. Subs: Dwyer, King, Wilde, Bailey.

FC: Shaul, Michaels, Fonua, Yeaman, Talanoa (T), Tuimavave, Sneyd (3G, DG), Taylor, Houghton, Watts, Minichiello (T), Manu, Ellis (T). Subs: Green, Bowden, Pritchard, Washbrook.

Referee: James Child.

Attendance: