Duo return to boost Hull
Hull FC have been boosted by the return of Willie Manu and Graeme Horne ahead of Friday Nights clash with the Salford City Reds at the KC Stadium.
Both players have been named in the Black and Whites 19-man squad for the match, which means youngsters Josh Hodgson and Dominic Maloney miss out.
Manu hasn’t played since injuring his ankle ligaments in Hull’s victory against Castleford at the Murrayfield Magic Weekend while Horne has been nursing a damaged thumb after he had the plaster removed last week.
Both players are expected to feature against Salford, although Head-Coach Richard Agar admits he is leaving the make up of his team to the last minute.
“Both guys were in pretty good form before they got their injuries, just quite what the make up of the team will be, we’ll wait, but Willie gives us plenty of penetration and is a go to man for us and Graeme’s proved this year he has been playing well, so we’ll keep some guys on their toes and bring those two in.”
Sam Moa, Paul King and Tommy Lee are all vying for a place on the bench while young loanee Jodie Broughton is expected to retain his place on the wing.
The 21-year-old, on loan from the Leeds Rhinos, was one of the stand out men during last weeks defeat at Wakefield, bagging two tries in the process.
With fellow winger Mark Calderwood set for over a month on the sidelines, Broughton knows this is a great opportunity for him.
“I’m really eager to play well this weekend, especially as I really want to fight for this win that we need to help lift our confidence.”
He added, “It is a great chance for me to prove myself, I am out of contract at Leeds at the end of this year, but I have learnt so much from my time here at Hull already, especially Richard [Agar] and I want to get everything from it I can.”
Head coach Richard Agar also said, “The fact that Jodie is in the start team shows where we are with our squad, Jodie is still a part-time player and the facts are we’ve had an awful lot of our original players not available for a number of reasons, but Jodie has been good.
“He made a few mistakes last week, but didn’t let it dampen his spirit and enthusiasm and came back stronger, which is something we can all learn from and he got his rewards with a couple of well taken tries in the second half,” he added.