Hull FC v Leeds Rhinos: Parcell's poised for '˜massive' match at Hull

HOOKER MATT Parcell reckons Leeds Rhinos' game at Hull tonight is 'massive' '“ for both him and the team.
Matt Parcell.Matt Parcell.
Matt Parcell.

Rhinos have slipped to fifth in Betfred Super League – a place and one point ahead of Hull – and could drop to seventh if results this weekend go against them.

That makes it a must-win game and for Parcell, it is an opportunity to test himself against one of the best number nines in the competition.

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“Last year every game against Hull was a big one and a close one and it’ll be another big one this week, especially after the Wigan result,” Parcell said.

Hull FCs Danny Houghton.Hull FCs Danny Houghton.
Hull FCs Danny Houghton.

“Last year we were really good at bouncing back from losses and so far this year we’ve done the same, so we need to continue that. Hull have got on a bit of a roll at the moment so it’ll be a good contest.”

Parcell will be up against one of the most admired hookers in Super League tonight. He said: “Danny Houghton is a good player, they love him at Hull and it is always good coming up against those guys.

“It gives you a challenge, you want to play better than him. There’s a lot of good hookers in Super League and it keeps you on your toes – it makes you want to improve and play better.”

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Parcell is confident there’ll be no hangover from last week’s 9-8 loss, which cost Leeds an opportunity to go second in the table. Rhinos led 8-0 inside the final 10 minutes, but a late slump handed two vital points to Wigan.

Hull FCs Danny Houghton.Hull FCs Danny Houghton.
Hull FCs Danny Houghton.

“We have got to learn from it,” Parcell stressed. “We went into our shell a bit in the last 15-20 minutes. We needed to play more footy and probably score another try to make the game safe. We had opportunities in the second half where the ball went down a couple of times.

“It’s all about learning from that. Eight-nil is not a big enough lead to defend so we needed to go on the attack and score some more points.

“It is game management, I think it is a learning curve. We tried to defend that lead and in hindsight that wasn’t the right thing to do.

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“We should have kept going on the front foot and kept attacking Wigan.

“Wigan were second on the ladder and we only went down by a point. We will learn from it, it wasn’t a disaster or anything like that.”

Round 12 effectively marks the start of the second half of the regular season, though Rhinos have a game in hand after their home clash with Catalans Dragons was snowed off last month. Leeds have won six of their 10 fixtures so far, with three defeats and a draw and Parcell believes they are in good shape.

“It has been different to last year,” he said. “Conditions have dictated that, in a lot of the games it has been raining or snowing or muddy, but hopefully the conditions will start to dry up now and we can play some free-flowing footy, which I think is what we do best.

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“That will suit us more. I think that showed last year, as the season progressed we got better and better. With Richie [Myler] coming in we are still developing combinations and the more we play together, the better we will be.”

Parcell described the emergence of some younger players, including teenagers Cameron Smith and Mikolaj Oledzki, as a highlight of the season so far. He said: “We’ve had a lot of injuries this year and the big positive is the younger fellas have stood up.

“Considering at one point we had pretty much all our first-choice front-rowers out, to be in the position we are now is not too bad.

“We have gone through it really well and we’ve got some guys now who’ve got a lot of experience and a lot of confidence that they can play at Super League level.”

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Mitch Garbutt remains on the long-term casualty list, but Adam Cuthbertson returned against Wigan and Nathaniel Peteru is expected to be back in contention this month.

“We have pretty much played the season without a few guys and that hasn’t helped,” Parcell admitted. “We have had to change the way we would play if we had those guys in the team, but as they start to come back and get fit we’ll be able to play some good footy.”

Parcell believes injuries in the pack have also had a bearing on his own form, he said: “It has been a bit harder for me because I like playing with the likes of Cuthbo and Garbs – I like to play off the back of them and we have some plays there. It has been a little tougher for me this year, but I feel I am starting to play some good footy.”