Hull FC v St Helens: Airlie Birds without key trio, Saints unchanged

Hull FC will have to go up against an unchanged St Helens side in Channel 4’s Saturday showpiece without three key players.

Brett Hodgson has been forced to make several changes to his side that won at Wakefield last week. Jake Connor (one-match ban), Andre Savelio (two-match ban) and Carlos Tuimavave (hamstring) drop out.

Marcus Walker and Mitieli Vulikijapani are called up to the squad. Youngster Charlie Severs is included, featuring in the first team squad for the first time in a competitive match.

Hull FC remain without Manu Ma’u (hamstring), Joe Cator (Achilles), Kane Evans (suspension), Josh Bowden (thigh), Jacob Hookem (foot) and Scott Taylor (foot).

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St Helens coach Kristian Woolf has named the same squad that beat Catalans in the opening round. Mark Percival is fit and included after being on the receiving end of a Dylan Napa high shot; resulting in the prop picking up a four-match ban.

Will Hopoate and Sione Mata’utia also left the field in the game. However, they are both fit and included for this weekend’s match in Hull.

Hull: Swift, Griffin, McIntosh, Reynolds, Gale, Sao, Houghton, Satae, Lane, Lovodua, Fash, McNamara, Brown, Johnstone, Wynne, Scott, Vulikijapani, Walker, Burrell, Shaul, Severs.

St Helens: Welsby, Makinson, Hopoate, Percival, Lomax, Dodd, Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Mata’utia, Batchelor, Knowles, Lussick, McCarthy-Scarbrook, Sironen, Paasi, Amor, Wingfield, Simm, Davies, Hurrell.

The round two Super League clash takes place at the MKM Stadium on Saturday (12:30pm), live on Channel 4.

The are two other games on Saturday – Huddersfield v Hull KR and Catalans v Wakefield.

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