Brett Hodgson has looked ahead to Monday’s clash against Catalans Dragons at the KCOM Stadium as Black & White supporters prepare for their first match in person in over a year.
Hull take on the Dragons in the Betfred Super League round six fixture, and will be looking to continue their fine form at the start of the 2021 campaign that has seen them defeated in just one match so far this season.
The Dragons will prove a stern test for the Airlie Birds, but Hull welcome back several key men to the fray, including full-back Jake Connor.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, brought to you in association with Jacuzzi, Hodgson said: “Josh Griffin and Danny Houghton have both passed their head injury assessment protocols this week. They’ll be good to go, with Jake Connor and Brad Fash both coming back into the mix as well.
“We have a bit of a headache on the edge in terms of selection, but it is a good headache to have. I thought Bureta was playing really well before he picked up his suspension, and Mahe has been excellent for the last couple of weeks. He earnt his way back into the tea with the way he trained.
On Josh Reynolds, who returned to action last weekend against Wigan, he added: “Having Josh back is a massive boost. He leads by example and his energy is infectious. His effort off the ball especially on those kick chases gets the energy out of all of the other boys too. Ben McNamara has come in and done a great job, but Josh has the experience of playing at a top level for a long time.
Looking ahead to a tough battle against the Dragons, Hodgson says he is looking forward to building on last week’s impressive victory against a tough Catalans side.
“We’re looking to continue building again on last week’s victory. We want to improve every week. There were some things we did very well last week, but there are also plenty of things we need to continue improving on.
“Catalans are in form. They’re playing exceptionally well and have some very dangerous key men if you give them space. They’re a well balanced team who are well coached and they ask a lot of questions of defences.
“Sam Tomkins is one of their key men. He has started the season off very week and is pivotal to their attack.”
On the return of fans to the KCOM Stadium, he continued: “Fans won’t win us the game, but they definitely help!
“The crowd are our 14th man but we know we have to do our part for them to give them something to get excited about.
“We understand that our supporters want us to put in a strong performance having been away for so long.”
Brett Hodgson is proudly sponsored by Cladding King. To find out more – click here
STORY SPONSOR
