It might only be Round Six but the second Hull derby of the year has come around with Hull KR set to host Hull FC in a Good Friday clash that looks like it’s trending towards an absolute hammering for the Black and Whites.
Hosts Hull KR enter the game on the back of two wins including a 40-0 demolition of Salford Red Devils in the Challenge Cup and that impressive form couldn’t be more of a polar opposite with consecutive scores of 50 or more being put on them.
Tony Smith’s side have only managed to score two tries in those games as well whilst they were scoreless in Round One at home against Hull KR, which all suggests to another large-margin victory for Willie Peters’ side.
Despite that, there is the old cliche that the form book goes out of the window when it’s a derby and Tony Smith and his men will certainly be hoping that is the case as the form book quite rightly puts them as huge underdogs and they’ve not been aided by a clean bill of health either.
FC are missing players once again with ex-captain Carlos Tuimavave still missing due to a hamstring injury and there were fears that he’d be joined on the sidelines by Liam Tindall who suffered a bursa on his knee but the ex-Leeds man has passed fit to make the 21-man squad.
As for Hull KR, they’re boosted by the return of Mikey Lewis who has passed all his HIA protocols meaning he’s available for the game, but Oliver Gildart has since begun his own HIA protocols following his nasty injury against Salford.
Star returns for Hull KR as Hull FC remain down on troops
Credit: Imago Images
The squads have now been confirmed for the clash with Hull FC making two changes to their squad from last week, those being Carlos Tuimavave and Harvey Barron dropping out for the returning Franklin Pele and Jack Ashworth.
Both Pele and Ashworth return from suspension to bolster the squad but plenty remain unavailable with the Black and Whites injury list currently featuring Jake Trueman (Achilles), Brad Fash (ankle), Joe Cator (hamstring), Mitieli Vulikijapani (knee), Zach Jebson (ankle), Jack Walker (hamstring) Kye Armstrong (shoulder) and Cobie Wainhouse (knee) who continue nursing their respective injuries.
As for Hull KR, they make a change in the centres with Oliver Gildart obviously dropping out and Tom Opacic coming back in but the biggest change is the return of star man Mikey Lewis.
He will partner Tyrone May again meaning Jez Litten can return to hooker, prompting young talent Reiss Butterworth to fall out of the 21-man squad, but there is an intriguing name in Ben Reynolds. The ex-Leigh man is named for the first time which could cast question marks of the status of Mikey Lewis.
Hull KR 21-Man Squad
1 Peta Hiku
2 Niall Evalds
3 Tom Opacic
5 Ryan Hall
7 Mikey Lewis
8 Sauaso Sue
9 Jez Litten
11 Dean Hadley
12 James Batchelor
13 Elliot Minchella
14 Matt Parcell
15 Sam Luckley
16 Jai Whitbread
17 Matty Storton
18 Ben Reynolds
19 Yusuf Aydin
20 Kelepi Tanginoa
21 Corey Hall
23 Louis Senior
27 Tyrone May
35 Joe Burgess
Hull FC 21-Man Squad
1 – Tex Hoy
2 – Liam Tindall
4 – Liam Sutcliffe
5 – Darnell McIntosh
7 – Fa’amanu Brown
8 – Herman Ese’ese
9 – Danny Houghton
10 – Franklin Pele
11 – Jayden Okunbor
12 – Ligi Sao
15 – Jordan Lane
16 – Jack Ashworth
17 – Cam Scott
19 – Morgan Smith
20 – Jack Brown
21 – Will Gardiner
23 – Davy Litten
24 – Nick Staveley
26 – Lewis Martin
30 – Matty Laidlaw
40 – Jack Charles
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