Ruthless leaders offer test of Hull’s ambitions

The Airlie Birds have stuttered their way through the first half of this campaign, beset by injuries and inconsistencies, but the East Yorkshire club are quietly sorting themselves out.

A run of four successive wins sees them tucked just inside the top eight and safely into the fifth round of the Challenge Cup where they will host Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in an eminently winnable tie in a fortnight’s time.

Any side that boasts talent like Tom Briscoe, Kirk Yeaman, Mark O’Meley and Andy Lynch cannot be ignored while, of course, there is the imminent arrival of a certain Gareth Ellis to enhance hopes of a more prosperous second half to the year.

Indeed, although it is first versus eighth, many observers might see the KC Stadium meeting tonight as the fixture of the weekend for the rich potential it offers.

Sky must surely certainly wish they were there and not, instead, broadcasting Widnes v Wakefield plus tomorrow’s lowly battle between Salford and Castleford.

Yet, amid all this positivity, Gentle also accepts ruthless Wigan, who have amassed on average a staggering 56 points in each of their last four games, are capable of inflicting serious damage to anyone given the merest of chances.

The experienced Australian concedes this evening is no time to have one of their off-nights.

“Wigan are the best team in the competition for a reason; they do everything right,” said Gentle, the visitors having lost just once in more than two months and seeking a seventh successive win.

“Shaun Wane’s done a terrific job with them. Some suggested they’d struggle this year but they picked up where they left off.

“Wigan are the standout team, they are the benchmark and at the moment we are all fighting to catch up with them.

“It’s our shot on Friday to see how close we are to them. It is going to be very difficult and we will need to be at our very best.

“We’d like our supporters to be at their best too in being the noisiest and loudest they can be and hopefully we can give them something to cheer about.

“We believe we can win the game, but we know anything short of our best and we won’t get the result.”

Hull are mindful of Wigan’s capacity to destroy opponents before they even have time settle into matches, Bradford Bulls trailing 30-0 at half-time at Odsal a couple of weeks ago after that 84-6 rout of Hull KR at Craven Park on Easter Monday.

“We have spoken long and hard about how Wigan have gone out to big scores early in games,” he continued.

“We know they will come out firing and we need to match that.

“Our start has been pretty poor in the last month and we cannot afford for that to continue, especially Friday.

“Last year we let them get away from us and had to chase them, you just cannot do that.

“We haven’t been convincing in the last four weeks while winning and we are still a long way from where we want to be.

“But everyone loves to play against the best and we have the opportunity to do that on our home turf. There is no reason we shouldn’t be confident.

“(And) everyone else is doing us a favour by beating each other and keeping us close to the top.

“We are still not that far away from the sides behind Wigan.”

Gentle is correct with that last assertion; though the Cherry and Whites are seven points in front, Hull are only three adrift of third-placed Warrington Wolves where they head after that Wakefield tie.

Players are returning, too. After six weeks out with a broken thumb, England centre Yeaman scored a hat-trick in the 62-6 Challenge Cup dismantling of North Wales Crusaders last Sunday while Australian full-back Shannon McDonnell, O’Meley, Briscoe and Richard Whiting are all back tonight.

“We had a very young side out against Crusaders and it is good to be able to bring some players with a few years under their belt back into the side, especially when you come up against a good side like Wigan,” said the former Australia No 2.

“We’ve got four players coming back this week which is huge and then Gareth Ellis looking like he’ll be back next week for London.

“He did a full session with us on Wednesday, he’ll do a full week’s training with us next week and then he’ll hopefully play Friday.”

The England forward, of course, has been out since breaking his foot in the warm-up ahead of the opening game of the season at Leeds and, so, is still yet to debut since joining from Gentle’s former club Wests Tigers.

There had been hopes the Black and Whites captain would be fit in time to face Wigan but Hull’s medical staff refuse to rush the return of a player twice voted the world’s best second-row.

As it stands, Gentle is glad his side – ahead of ninth-placed Hull KR due to a superior points difference – are still capable of launching an assault.

“To get into the top eight is significant after what we have been through so far this season,” he added. “We need to hang on to that place now, make sure we don’t fall by the wayside and that we are within striking distance when we get our squad back.

“There has been no momentum swing and I wouldn’t say we are on a roll. We’re still misfiring but are finding a way to win; the last four victories have come from desire and hard work.”

Wigan, meanwhile, have won their previous seven meetings with Hull, the Airlie Birds’ last success being in February 2009.

Unsurprisingly, Sam Tomkins – Ellis’s England colleague – has been their particular scourge, scoring 10 tries in seven games against the Black and Whites.

Gentle will hope people are talking about his own side’s strike threats, though, by 9.45pm tonight.