Hull FC's Josh Griffin out to erase painful St Helens memory as he targets 2017 repeat

The 33-year-old lifted the famous old trophy with Hull FC in 2017 but has since been reminded just how cruel sport can be.

Four years later, Griffin suffered the agony of a ruptured Achilles and a semi-final defeat to St Helens.

To compound his pain, the shock of the injury caused Griffin to drop the ball and allow Theo Fages to score a highly controversial try.

Fages faced accusations of gamesmanship in the aftermath but life soon returned to normal for the Frenchman.

Griffin, meanwhile, replayed the incident over and over in his head during a torturous eight-month recovery period.

Two years on, Griffin has a shot at redemption against Saints in the quarter-finals.

"It was the toughest part of my career," he said.

"I still hold myself accountable sometimes for the loss after dropping the ball and the stuff that came after that. It was a hard period for me.

"Hopefully I can put in a really good performance this week and get the win to close that chapter.

"It's a terrible memory for me but I've got the chance to turn it into a positive."

Griffin built himself back up and is enjoying a new lease of life following a permanent switch to the second row.

The converted forward has scored six tries in his last four outings for Hull, including a hat-trick in the stunning Magic Weekend win over Warrington Wolves.

Griffin is getting back close to his best with the help of Tony Smith, who replaced Brett Hodgson in the off-season.

"I'm in a really good place both physically and mentally," said Griffin.

"It's helped that the team is playing well as well so confidence is sky high at the moment.

"The move to the back row is something I've been trying to do for a few years now. Tony has given me a chance to have a good run of games at it and develop into it.

"Hopefully now you're seeing the hard work I put in through pre-season and the start of the season come to fruition and that my performances are repaying Tony's faith in me.

"It wasn't any secret that I had a couple of tough years under the previous coach but Tony has put that smile back on my face and I'm enjoying my rugby again. That's a massive thing for me."

Hull have the look of a happier team under Smith after overcoming initial teething problems.

The Black and Whites lost seven games in a row during a miserable period but have improved out of sight in the last two months.

Smith's men head into the cup tie against St Helens on the back of just a second defeat in seven matches at in-form Leigh Leopards.

Hull run into another team near the top of the form table after seeing Saints win their last five games, including ominous victories over Huddersfield Giants and Wigan Warriors.

Griffin, however, is not entirely convinced that they are back at the level that saw them win four consecutive Super League titles.

"They're looking better but I still think they're a bit vulnerable and are probably not the team they have been," he said.

"People raise their standards to their level. They've been the benchmark for the last four or five seasons so every week is a really tough game for them.

"I'd like to think we've got some good strike players on our edges and they're quite vulnerable on some of their edge plays. We'd be silly not to have a look at that.

"I'm full of confidence in our boys. I feel like we can beat anyone at the moment – but we need to be at our best."

The winners of Saturday's tie at the MKM Stadium will be one game away from Wembley.

Hull do not have to look far for inspiration after winning back-to-back finals at the national stadium in 2016 and 2017.

Talk of Wembley brings back special memories for Griffin who would dearly love to relive that glorious day with his children.

"We were still on a high from 2016," he recalled.

"I obviously didn't play in the 2016 final but we kind of felt like the cup was ours and wanted to go out there and defend it the best we could.

"We really bought into the cup run that year. We had some really tough games. The Leeds game at Doncaster was one of my favourite games of my career and the atmosphere was unbelievable.

"Going on to Wembley to beat a tough Wigan team like we did was a great experience.

"It's a feeling you never forget. I've got two kids now from that year so it'd be nice to share a memory like that with them."