Hull FC forward Iafeta Paleaaesina knows he has to stand up and be counted when he comes up against his former employers on Friday night.
With influential forward Mickey Paea out with a one match suspension, Richard Whiting missing and Liam Watts in the squad despite injury concerns earlier in the week, Paleaaesina knows that the senior players at the club need to be at the very top of their game if they are to halt a three-match losing run.
“Mickey Paea has been our best front rower this season and with him out it is down to us senior guys to really step up,” Paleaaesina told the Hull Daily Mail.
“It’s something Gaz Ellis and Danny Houghton do every week and I need to give my support off the bench. I have to make an immediate impact when I come on against Wigan and do all I can to try and make a difference for the team.
“Shaun Wane will have Wigan really fired up and after two defeats they’ll be really tough at home. We need to start big, but it’s not just about the start. Leeds showed us last week the importance of playing for the whole 80 minutes. The boys are pumped for this one, we’ve had a good week and we’re looking forward to the game.”
Meanwhile, as totalrl.com reported earlier Setaimata Sa will be out of action for some time after scans show he has fractured a bone in his back.
Hull FC 19-man squad to face Wigan: Jordan Abdull, Josh Bowden, Gareth Ellis, Chris Green, Dean Hadley, Danny Houghton, Tom Lineham, Steve Michaels, Mark Minichiello, Iafeta Paleaaesina, Leon Pryce, Jordan Rankin, Marc Sneyd, Fetuli Talanoa, Jordan Thompson, Jansin Turgut, Liam Watts, Joe Westerman, Kirk Yeaman
