Hull FC look to end poor away run at high-flying Wigan

Hull FC will look to back up last weekend’s win in a pulsating derby against Hull KR at Magic Weekend as they face a very stern test at the DW Stadium against a bang in-form Wigan side.

Head Coach Brett Hodgson was absent from the pre-match press conference due to illness, however Assistant Coach Kieron Purtill confirmed that he will more than likely be in attendance at the DW.

“Brett just has a bit of a sickness bug at the moment. It’s only a 24-48 hour one but yesterday he was pretty rough. We decided not to take any risks and pass it into the group.”

The Black and Whites’ derby triumph has left them in a confident mood as they look for another win against the Warriors, who ironically last suffered defeat in a 31-22 score in May at the MKM Stadium. However, Hull will also be looking to address a run of winless Super League away matches which goes back to March 10th.

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“I’m not sure why we’ve not done as well away from home. But its something we’ve spoke about.”

“Its a quick turnaround and we know it’ll be tough. They’re all about being physical and we need to match the energy and effort.

“I expect a typical Wigan mood. They won’t give much away, they’ve got a good balance within the squad.”

Bevan French and Jai Field have been key in particular in Wigan’s pursuit of St Helens at the top of the table, and FC will have to pay close attention to the pair if they are to get any result on Friday night.

“They’ve been a threat all year. They’ve got pure speed and we have to be diligent against them.”

With only nine matches left, Purtill also touched on the importance of the squad as a whole as FC look to push on from an already encouraging position.

“We’re getting towards the business end of the season. We’re in a decent position but we want to stay in the play-offs. Every game is important.

“To win games, we need our best players on the field but when they come back (from injury or suspension), they won’t get in the side automatically.”

A similar mood was shared by Brad Fash, who was quick to highlight those who made their debuts for the club at St James’ Park.

“They’ve all brought loads of energy and they’re very keen and also very good players. The rest of the group has bounced off that energy and hopefully that makes us perform better.”

The 26-year old who has only missed the last encounter between Hull and Wigan this season, was also in a confident mood ahead of the game.

“The saying is if you beat them once, you can beat them again, and that’s the mood in training.

“It’ll be a tough match and a tough battle. It probably won’t be as high scoring as last week.”

When discussing the end of season play-off chase, the 26 year old believes the Black and Whites are firmly in with a chance.

“We’ve got to win the games that we should be winning, and win those games you’d like to think you can win as well.

“If we win as many games as possible then we’ll make the play-offs. We’ve got to play well and train well.

The only change to Brett Hodgson’s squad this week sees Mitieli Vulikijapani return from suspension and replacing Connor Wynne, who is suspended for this game.

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