Hull FC v Saints: Teams
Hull have Willie Manu and Peter Cusack back as they look to complete a Super League double over St Helens.
Last Updated: 03/06/10 6:00pm
Hull have Willie Manu and Peter Cusack back as they bid to complete a Super League double over St Helens on Friday night.
The Airlie Birds caused an early upset back at the start of February when they triumphed 32-12 at the GPW Recruitment Stadium, with former Saint Sean Long scoring one of their five tries against his old employers.
Victories over Castleford and Catalans Dragons in their last two Super League outings have left Richard Agar's side sitting in fourth spot.
However the Black and Whites coach knows his side can ill-afford to slip up with only four points separating themselves from city rivals Hull KR, who currently occupy ninth spot in the table.
Tight
"There's a long way to go," said Agar. "I know we're sat in fourth but we're probably only a wrong result away from being sixth or seventh so it's all very tight.
"But we're looking above us and not behind us and we're hoping our form will be good enough to keep us up there.
"We played Saints in round one but there's been a lot of water under the bridge since then.
"As we've all seen over a number of weeks, they've very much got the ability to put the cleavers through many team if they get their performance right so I think it's an exciting game."
Second-rower Manu and Australian prop Cusack both return from injury to boost Hull's pack, youngsters Danny Nicklas and Liam Cunningham making way for the fit-again duo in Agar's 19-man squad.
Richard Horne, Mark Calderwood, Epalahame Lauaki and Shaun Berrigan are all ruled out, though the latter could return against Salford next week.
Eastmond out
Saints will have to do without Kyle Eastmond after he damaged ankle ligaments in the Carnegie Challenge Cup win over Barrow last weekend.
The scrum-half is set to be sidelined for a month, meaning he will have to sit out England's mid-season international against France on June 12.
Coach Mick Potter has confirmed that hooker Scott Moore will step in to Eastmond's half-back role for the trip to the KC Stadium.
"He did a good job when he got shunted there at the weekend," he said. "He will be a little bit more settled because he'll start there from the outset."
There is better news on the injury front concerning full-back Paul Wellens and winger Francis Meli, with both players expected to be fit for action.
Hull FC squad: T. Briscoe, Burnett, Cusack, Dowes, Fitzgibbon, Hall, Houghton, Long, Manu, McShane, Moa, O'Meley, Radford, Tansey, Tickle, Turner, Washbrook, Whiting, Yeaman.
St. Helens squad: Wellens, Gidley, Meli, Pryce, Fozzard, Cunningham, Graham, Puletua, Flannery, Roby, Hargreaves, Moore, Clough, Ashurst, Wheeler, Dixon, Lomax, Emmitt, Magennis.