Warrington Wolves v Hull FC: Key Super League battles

What a game we have in store at the top of Super League on Friday night as leaders Hull FC travel to second-placed Warrington Wolves.

The Airlie Birds are in fine form, having won six league games in a row, and they come up against a Warrington side who have won back-to-back games following two surprising defeats to Wakefield and Castleford.

Who will come out on top at the Halliwell Jones Stadium? We look at three head-to-heads that could decide the contest...

Stefan Ratchford v Jamie Shaul

There is an interesting match-up at full-back with two English players likely to be strutting their stuff.

It has been a funny season for Stefan Ratchford. Always a valuable utility player, he has struggled to nail down a position in 2016.

Ratchford has started seven games in the halves, covering while Chris Sandow was injured, before moving to full-back for the win over Leeds. And with Matty Russell absent for the St Helens game, Ratchford stayed in the No 1 position. He also produced a classic piece of full-back play, supporting Daryl Clark's break to race home for the fourth try which effectively killed off any chance of a St Helens recovery.

That was Ratchford's sixth try of the season, while he has also shown his creativity by providing seven try assists. Handy in attack, Ratchford has thrown 15 offloads, the fifth best in the side and averages 7.67m a drive. Now can he make the full-back spot his own before the end of the season?

In Jamie Shaul, Hull FC have one of the form full-backs of 2016. He is sixth in the Super League try-scoring charts with 12 and the five names above him on that list are all wingers. That total is three more than anyone else in the Black and White shirt, and Shaul specialises in both the long range finish, and also supporting team-mates' breaks.

But that's not all he brings to the party. Shaul is the only Airlie Bird to break 2000m this season, and his 2021m have come at an average of 9.96m a drive, again the best in the side. Take into consideration that Shaul has also carried 203 times, only behind Liam Watts in FC colours, and you can see what he offers Lee Radford in attack.

With 70 tackle busts and 14 clean breaks, the full-back also tops those categories, while he's not shy of putting a team-mate in either, proving five try assists, the joint-third best at the club.

They are sensational figures then from Shaul and you can be sure Wayne Bennett will be watching the end of his season with great interest.

Chris Hill v Scott Taylor

Two of Super League's best props in 2016 will battle it out in the front-row.

Warrington captain Chris Hill always leads from the front. He has started all 17 games this season, despite Tony Smith admitting the skipper was an injury doubt before the win over St Helens.

How the Wolves would miss him too. Hill has smashed the 2000-metre barrier already, his 2208m is 229m than any other Warrington player and the fourth-best in Super League. That comes at an average of 8.4m a drive, and from a Warrington-best 263 carries.

Then there's Hill's tackle count - 540 is easily the best in the Wolves ranks, and even more incredibly, he's missed just six all season. Top stuff from the captain but will his efforts result in Warrington finally breaking their Old Trafford duck come October?

One man who could be battling for Hill's England shirt come October is Hull FC's Scott Taylor. He has formed a formidable partnership with Liam Watts in the front-row and is delivering everything he initially promised when he broke through at city rivals Hull KR.

Behind Shaul in FC's metre count, Taylor has still racked up 1637 metres at an average gain of 8.35m a drive. He is a big weapon in attack but also in defence, where he sits third in the FC tackle count having completed 414 hits, behind just tackle machine Danny Houghton and front row partner Watts.

To give Wayne Bennett a even bigger nudge, Taylor was named Super League Player of the Month for May. The prop has got an eye for the try line, crossing three times this season and he's got good speed for a front rower too, demonstrated by his role in Jamie Shaul's try against Widnes last weekend.

With Taylor in such good form, expect Hull FC to take the fight to Warrington in the front row. 

Daryl Clark v Danny Houghton

At hooker, it's another all-English head-to-head that could go a long way to determining the outcome of this game.

We picked out Clark last week as one to watch as he came up against James Roby, and as he has done throughout 2016, the hooker delivered. His break for Stefan Ratchford's try shows just how dangerous he can be with ball in hand, and it's a return to the level of performance that saw Clark pick up the Man of Steel award in 2014.

That threat in attack is clear from Clark's figures. He is third on the Wolves metres list with 1670 metres at an average gain of 10.99m, the only Warrington player to go over the 10 metre mark in that regard. That figure is also the best in the whole of Super League.

His 12 clean breaks and 65 tackle busts are the second best in both rankings for Warrington, but Clark also packs a punch in defence too, having made 412 tackles. With the hooker at his best, Warrington will be a serious threat going forward come Friday night.

In the No 9 shirt for Hull FC is a very different type of hooker. If there's one thing for certain in Super League, it's Danny Houghton being in contention every year for the competition's top tackler prize.

Houghton has been in the top three for the last six seasons, winning that award on three occasions. And sure enough, he leads the way in 2016, his 756 tackles 58 more than Wigan's Sam Powell in Super League. That's also 299 more than any team-mate in Black and White.

Houghton always directs his side round the pitch. He has made 117 runs from dummy half, the third best in Super League. Scott Taylor credits Houghton for his recent form, stating after winning his player of the month award that it's easy for him to excel off the back of Houghton.

The stats certainly back that up - Taylor's 1637 metres at an average of 8.35m a drive and fellow prop Liam Watts' 1515 metres at 7.35m a drive show how much of a platform the hooker offers his pack.

A one-club man since his 2007 debut, it would be fitting if Houghton led Hull FC to Super League glory.