Hull FC v Leigh Leopards: Tony Smith wary of wounded visitors amid early-season challenges

The Leopards have lost all three games and are without several key men, including Edwin Ipape, John Asiata and Tom Briscoe.

To compound their selection issues, Lachlan Lam and Tom Amone are major doubts for Saturday's trip to Hull.

It is a far cry from last season when Leigh stayed relatively injury free on their way to Challenge Cup glory and a play-off appearance in Super League.

“That's the challenge of Super League,” said Smith, whose own list of absentees runs into double figures.

"They kept most of their good players on the park last season and that was a big part of why they had a big season. It's so crucial.

"They've had a few testing times this season, as we have, but they're a good team and will be tough this weekend, no matter who they've got in their team. They've got some quality and experienced players and play some intelligent rugby league.

"Leigh are going to be a big test for us and hopefully we can be a test for them as well. I'd like to think we showed some improvement last week in our performance against a quality team in Catalans on the road.

"I'd like to think that we're getting a bit more about us. Hopefully it will make for a good match."

The 26-12 defeat in Perpignan left Hull with just two points from their opening four games, their sole win coming against London Broncos last time out on home soil.

The Black and Whites have been hampered by injury and suspension issues from the outset which has made life difficult for Smith.

"It's been testing for all sorts of reasons," he said on the start of the Super League campaign.

"You can't just look at the outcomes. You've got to look a little deeper than that to work out why and when teams have scored their points.

“When we do reviews and previews for our opposition, sometimes we're watching 12 men and you're trying to guess how they're going to play.

"We're seeing teams get beaten because they're down to 12 men at times, or even 11. It's difficult. We're also seeing some new faces due to suspensions and injuries. Squads are getting tested at the moment so it's hard to predict other teams.

"You get your best 17 out and I think everyone is pretty competitive with one another. It's just being able to do that. It's a real big test.”