Hull FC coach Lee Radford has hinted he is going to bring back Jordan Rankin into his side for Saturday’s Hull derby at Magic Weekend.
The former Gold Coast star, 22, has been a regular starter for the Airlie Birds in 2014 but was dropped for last week’s 44-16 loss against Wigan. With derby experience under his belt, Radford thinks he could play a big part in this Saturday’s clash.
“I’ll be looking to switch the half-backs around again, and Jordan has the experience of the first derby to take into this one,” Radford told the Hull Daily Mail.
“I’m sure he’s going to take the chance with both hands. He’s a real threat with the ball in his hand and we’re going to need that against Hull KR.
“Rich [Horne, who started in place of Rankin against Wigan] probably had the game to forget last week, so he’ll be stinging too and wanting to put things right. It’s a really difficult one.
“Derbies are always competitive games with the nature of them, and we must get the performance right.
“We’re going to be forced to switch it up as we’re top heavy up front. With our injuries earlier in the year, I was forced to bring in Garreth Carvell. It’s tough because the three that came off the bench three weeks ago at KR [Liam Watts, Josh Bowden and Jordan Thompson] want to put their performances right.
“But there’s also a lot of kids waiting in the wings to take their chances. You can only hope they understand the reason why they’re left out and that you get it right and it doesn’t come back to smack you.
“It’s vital we start well on Saturday. It was difficult to take against Wigan as we wanted to lay the foundation for the 80 minutes and we failed to do that. Thankfully, that means there’s plenty to work on in training. When you get 44 points put past you there is a lot to go at.
“It is what it is when things aren’t going for you. The individual effort is not an issue, it’s just collecting everything together.
“We’re pretty okay with the long stretch on the road, it’s not an issue for us. Our home form has been scratchy so we’re hoping for a change in our fortunes.
“The results are the most difficult thing to take recently. With a club of our stature and to see 10,000 fans screaming the house down every week, we want to be winning.
“The Etihad is the perfect venue and perfect game to stop the rut that we’re in. We’ve just got to come to the party.”
