Brett Hodgson has looked ahead to this weekend’s clash against Salford, while also giving an injury update on members of the Black & White squad after last weekend’s opening win.
Hull ran out as convincing winners against the Giants on Sunday, but will be without several forwards going into another challenging clash this weekend against the Red Devils at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
FC will be aiming to make if two wins on the bounce in their opening two fixtures with their Easter Weekend clash against Richard Marhsall’s side.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, in association with Jacuzzi®, Hodgson started by giving an injury update on members of the Black & White squad.
“Everyone got through the game apart from Josh Bowden who picked up a head injury. We will replace Josh, who won’t be available unfortunately with concussion protocols.”
Meanwhile, Hodgson gave an update on Jack Brown and Masi Matongo, both of whom missed the Huddersfield game with injury.
“Jack looks like he will be right to go on Monday next week. He rolled his ankle in the middle of last week so it was just a minor setback for him.
“Unfortunately for Masi, it looks a bit more concerning. he has an operation on Saturday to get his meniscus repaired. We need to see how that goes over the next few weeks to get an idea of timeframe. At this stage, it looks like its going to be a substantial period of time. We’re thinking at least a couple of months.
“I really feel for him. He has had some bad luck with injuries over the last couple of years; he is a big part of our plans going forward, so he is disappointed as you’d imagine but we’ll be here to support him throughout.”
Before looking ahead to his weekend’s fixture against Salford, Hodgson reviewed some of the key men in Sunday’s victory over Huddersfield.
On Jordan Lane, he commented: “He looked very good. He has a good engine and is a physical presence in the middle of the field, and is a ball player too.
“I thought for the balance of the squad in round one, with us not playing Jordan Johnstone, Joe Cator was able to cover in that hooker role if needs be so that’s why he came off the bench, and Laney played at loose.
“I thought Jordan and Joe were two of our better performers. They did everything we asked of them. They’re both pushing and supporting each other which is great for both of them. Their development is excellent for the club.”
He added: “We looked at the review and have spoken about the things we can do better. This week is important as we need some consistency, which has been an issue for a few years here. We have spoken about it a lot, so now we just have to execute our plan this weekend.”
Speaking on Salford, Hodgson picked out some of the key individuals for the Red Devils who could pose a threat to the Airlie Birds this week.
“They have a team of classy individuals. A number of their key men can hurt you at any stage of the game. We need to make sure we are all connected defensively and supporting each other. Ultimately you need to cover yous mate’s back in case he makes a poor read or an error.
“Elijah Taylor was excellent against Saints. He works constantly in the middle of the field and is the defensive rock that teams need. “
“Kevin Brown pulls the strings in that team and Dan Sarginson is a real running threat out of broken field too.”
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