Grand Final Spot Up For Grabs

The Bulls won the Grand Final after a third-placed finish last season and will now be looking to do the same from a fourth-placed finish after wins over Salford and Warrington in the previous rounds.

However, they will have their hands full against a Hull FC side that claimed second spot in the table and came within a whisker of St Helens last week, having beaten the Knowsley Road side earlier in the campaign.

"I think Hull are the favourites," said Hape. "They've been the consistent team throughout the whole year and they were unlucky to lose last week.

"It was a close game that could have gone either way. I actually thought we were going to go to St Helens.

"I think everyone expected it to be a Hull-St Helens final but we hope to have a say in that."

Hape believes that the main threat in the Hull side will come from the half-back partnership of Richard Horne and Paul Cooke.

"They play well as a team but their halves are the key," added Hape. "They are the main danger men.

"The last time we played Hull, Richard Horne scored a couple of tries. He seems to have a thing against us. But they have strike players right across the park."

Despite Hape’s assertions, Hull coach Peter Sharp is convinced that his side are in for just as tough a battle with Bradford as they were last week with Saints. 

"We know how hard it's going to be," said Sharp. "Bradford are a quality football side and are playing very good football at the end of the year.

And Sharp remains convinced that the Airlie Birds are capable of taking their game up another notch in their bid to reach the Old Trafford final.

"We know we're going to have to be better than we were last week,” he continued. “That was a semi-final and this is a final to go to the Grand Final so I would imagine it would go up another notch and we will have to go with it.

"It was our first shot at a play-off game of that intensity so hopefully we'll be a bit better this week and execute a bit better under pressure."

The KC Stadium will tonight be filled with over 14,000 fans, with home fans snapping up 12,000 tickets and the visitors bringing at least 1,700 along the M62 with them.

This will eclipse Hull’s previous best this season of 13,721, set for the visit of Leeds Rhinos.