Hull KR v Leeds Rhinos: Super League preview
Last Updated: 21/07/16 7:34pm
Hull KR and Leeds collide at the KC Lightstream Stadium on Thursday with the winner guaranteed four home games in the Qualifiers.
The teams are level on 24 points with Hull KR occupying 10th place thanks to a superior scoring difference.
Rovers were 30-10 winners when they visited Headingley on April 1 and Leeds head coach Brian McDermott says revenge will be on his players' minds.
"That was a dark day that, so we owe them one," said McDermott. "That was our poorest performance, we were absolutely awful that day and Hull KR were smart enough to exploit that."
Although McDermott's men have endured their worst season for 20 years, 12 months on from becoming only the third team to complete the modern-day treble, they have rediscovered their form with four wins from their last five matches.
McDermott is hoping to take that form into the Qualifiers, which determines the final make-up of Super League for 2017, and insists the trip to Hull KR is crucial to their hopes of ending the year on a high.
"We can finish ninth and that's hugely important because we get more home games and we want to play as many home games as we can," he said.
"There is still a scenario where we can finish bottom and we don't want to do that.
"We also want to be going into Middle 8s on the back of a run of performances which we can be proud of. Without kicking up old dust, we've been in some places this year we haven't been that proud about.
"To have a bit of pride, some integrity about how we're operating in recent weeks has been big for us.
"Hull KR are going to be a challenge. They got beat by Hull so they will want to turn that around, and every team in the Middle 8s will want to go into them on the back of a win.
"For us we're trying to hang onto some things that we've been creating for about six weeks now."
McDermott has included captain Danny McGuire in his 19-man squad and, although he does not expect him to play, he is able to add prop Mitch Garbutt to a virtual full-strength team, a far cry from mid-season when at times he was without 10 senior players through injury.
"I don't think Danny is going to play," said McDermott. "Obviously we have some big games coming up and we don't want to run the risk of further injury.
"But we're reasonably healthy, this team will be strongest we've had all year.
"Stevie Ward is training with the players, he's starting to look like a rugby league player and that's good, he's still two or three weeks away."
Hull KR have lost former Leeds second rower Chris Clarkson, prop Mitch Allgood, back rower Graeme Horne and centre Iain Thornley from the side that lost the Hull derby but front rower James Green returns from suspension.
French internationals Kevin Larroyer and John Boudebza are recalled and second rower James Donaldson will play as long he passes the mandatory head test after being concussed last week.
Hull KR: Maurice Blair, John Boudebza, Ben Cockayne, Kieran Dixon, James Donaldson, James Green, James Greenwood, Albert Kelly, Kevin Larroyer, George Lawler, Shaun Lunt, Josh Mantellato, Matty Marsh, Thomas Minns, Robbie Mulhern, Ken Sio, David Thompson, Dane Tilse, Adam Walker.
Leeds Rhinos: Carl Ablett, Mitch Achurch, Tom Briscoe, Rob Burrow, Adam Cuthbertson, Brett Delaney, Brett Ferres, Keith Galloway, Mitch Garbutt, Ryan Hall, Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Jimmy Keinhorst, Jordan Lilley, Danny McGuire, Joel Moon, James Segeyaro, Brad Singleton, Liam Sutcliffe, Kallum Watkins.
Watch Hull KR v Leeds live on Sky Sports 3 HD on Thursday from 7.30pm. Catch the match for £6.99 on NOW TV. No contract.