Hull KR's Jordan Abdull talks up importance of Good Friday derby in context of season

The Robins reached the Super League play-offs for the first time in eight years at Hull's expense last season, although Brett Hodgson's team claimed the bragging rights in the only meeting between the great rivals.

Only two points separate the sides in the table ahead of Friday's clash, the first derby at Craven Park since 2019.

For Abdull, who returned to the club ahead of the 2020 season, this fixture has been a long time coming.

"It's the first home derby since I came back and it's always a special occasion," he told The Yorkshire Post.

"It's different now as well. It used to just be all about bragging rights whereas now there's a real competition for the two points to get yourself up the table.

"It didn't used to be like that, especially from the Rovers side of it. It almost used to be that if you won the derby, you could get away with finishing near the bottom.

"That's not our standard anymore. We know Hull are going to be in the top six, or there or thereabouts, and we want to be there as well.

"There's more to it now and that's what is making the derby and rivalry even better."

KR's side on Good Friday is likely to include only two survivors from the last Craven Park derby in Kane Linnett and Matt Parcell.

Hull-born Abdull, who began his career with the Black and Whites, has stressed the importance of drawing first blood in the first of three battles in 2022.

"This is the fixture you look forward to," he said.

"We try not to think of it as a different game but being in the city and experiencing both sides of it, I know how passionate the fans are.

"Fans might not say it but it is the fixture they look for. If you could have a derby every week, they'd go to it and it'd be a sell-out every time.

"I understand what it means to the fans and how important the result is. As a club, we now understand how important the two competition points are.

"It's not just the emotional attachment to it, there's also the prize at the end of it which is the two competition points which could make or break your season come the back end of the year.

"If you lose two or three times in the derby, it could come back to haunt you in the end."