The 2016 Man of Steel is sidelined again after tearing a calf in the 24-10 defeat to Wigan Warriors in Wollongong on Saturday.

Hooker Houghton, 29, suffered the same injury on his other leg last season and could face up to two months out.

“I would think it’d be six to eight weeks but we probably can’t put a time-frame on it at the moment,” he told The Yorkshire Post.

“We’re going day by day and if it feels good I’ll do a bit more, if it feels bad I’ll ease off a bit.

“It’s something I’ll have to cope with now and try and be positive about to get back as soon as possible.”

Asked what he thought of the famous Manly beach in Sydney, where Hull are staying for the second week of their New South Wales tour, Hull-born Houghton said: “It’s got nowt on the Humber has it?!

“No, it’s great really. We’ve been down in Kiama which was a a great spot and now in Manly there’s no better place to be especially for me with this injury.

“It puts a smile on my face and I’m starting to enjoy it a bit now.”

Hull face NRL club St George-Illawarra at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney on Saturday and he added: “Prep’s gone really good.

“We were disappointed against Wigan. We didn’t really feel we gave ourselves a chance in that game. But with all the ups and downs that went against us I thought the boys dug in deep and showed character.

“They have washed all that off now and had some down time and enjoyed themselves but now it’s down to business time.

“Although it is a friendly against St George we want a positive performance to take into the Castleford game the week after.”

Dave Craven is on tour with Hull FC in Australia in association with Ladbrokes.com

On tour Down Under: Manly beach has '˜got nowt on the Humber' jokes Hull FC's Danny Houghton