Hull FC make a return to Super League action in Yorkshire face-off against the Huddersfield Giants

Credit: Sky Sports

It’s been a long few weeks for Hull FC who have had to wait patiently since their last win which came against Thursday’s opponents Huddersfield Giants back in June.

Covid protocols have caused havoc across the whole of Rugby League in the past few weeks with games being postponed becoming a worryingly regular occurrence, but Hull FC finally get to return to action as they face Ian Watson’s Giants side.

Speaking in his pre-match conference, Huddersfield’s Head Coach was very upbeat about how things are moving within the club, both on the pitch and off it. Watson insisted that the club is in ‘a very good place’ in terms of upcoming recruitment and he had a genuinely excited tone for the future of the Giants.

In the short term, performances have improved despite having a very depleted squad and having to revert to using a number of young players who have had their original loan spells disrupted, but with two narrow losses to Wigan Warriors in their last two games, there are definite positives for the Giants who will be hoping to pick up a much-needed win at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Huddersfield are still missing a number of key players, but are able to welcome back the likes of James Cunningham and forward Owen Trout back into the 19-man squad. Young Will Pryce continues to feature in the squad as the youngster made a highly anticipated debut against the Catalan Dragons a few weeks ago.

There is also a notable feature with Leroy Cudjoe set to make his 300th appearance on Thursday evening, an incredible achievement and one Giants fans will hope to celebrate with a win.

As for Hull FC, their squad sees the return of Carlos Tuimavave, Josh Bowden, Adam Swift, Danny Houghton and Jordan Lan, but are still missing a number of players due to a number of reasons including some still affected by Covid protocols that have faced some serious criticism from all levels of the sport this week.

With FC not having played this month, they will no doubt be fresh and raring to go, but as the game progresses, we may see a few tired legs out there which could open up opportunities for the Giants to exploit and take the game to the visitors.

Hull made an impressive start to the campaign and they will be keen to continue the form they were showing by picking up another two points in the all Yorkshire affair.