‘They think they’re going to win the Grand Final’ – Hull FC chairman takes aim at rivals ahead of derby

Hull FC’s chairman Adam Pearson has jokingly hit out at bitter rivals Hull KR ahead of the Hull derby next weekend.

Hull KR sit in fifth in the Super League table with FC in seventh – an unusual change from years gone by – as Pearson gets ready to welcome high-flying Rovers to the MKM Stadium on Friday.

Pearson, who has been Hull owner since 2011, highlighted just how well Rovers are doing, but that they may well be overexaggerating their influence on Super League in 2021  : “We’re watching all of the noises coming out of Hull KR at the moment – they think they’re going to win the Grand Final and they’re running away with it.

“Well, we’re going to find out if that’s the case next Saturday, aren’t we.

“They’re in the frame for a play-off spot, so it’s going to be a spicy occasion – I urge everyone to get down to the MKM Stadium next Saturday because it should be a really great moment for the city to come together after the pandemic.”

He continued: “We’ve got some really important bodies back next week and we’re going to give it everything we’ve got to get a result – there is certainly a feeling in their camp that they can get the win, but I think if we’re near full strength, we’ll have nothing to worry about.

“We’ve had players struggling with Covid and injuries recently, but Derby Week does certain things to you – it gets the players revved up, and we’ll have a whole host of stars back.”

“If we can secure that play-off berth over the coming weeks, with a full strength side out there, I believe we can give anyone a run for their money.

On the importance of the supporters next week, and across Rugby League as a whole, he added: “We need to get Rugby League back up and running – we’ve done a pretty good job in keeping our supporters on board over there last 18 months, but across the league a lot of grounds are looking pretty empty.

“But we need a full house next week to get behind us to get that win, and we’ll need the full Black & White Army behind us!”