Wakefield Trinity v Hull FC - pressure is on derby clash
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Visitors Hull kicked off the season with back-to-back wins over Leeds Rhinos and Hull KR, but have since suffered three straight defeats.
Third favourites for the league leaders’ shield in the pre-season betting, they started Betfred Super League round six in seventh place on the table, one above Trinity on points difference.
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Hide AdHull boss Lee Radford will be demanding a reaction, but Chester insists Trinity have motivation of their own.
“There’s been a lot of hype over the team at Hull, who they have brought in,” Chester said.
“It was always going to take a bit of time for them to get it right and I think there’s a lot of pressure on both teams.
“There’s pressure on us because we aren’t where we wanted to be; we wanted to be three from four and we are one win behind that.
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Hide Ad“There’s pressure on them because they’ve lost three on the bounce and they need to get their season started again.
“Both teams are going to be really desperate and we have got to be just as desperate as they are and play like we did in the second half last Sunday.”
Chester described Trinity’s 22-12 success at Salford Red Devils as an “an ugly win”, but stressed: “We had to do whatever it took to get over the line.”
He said: “We made it very, very hard for ourselves at times.
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Hide Ad“We keep putting ourselves in good positions, then letting teams off the hook. We need to stop doing that.
“In the first 20 minutes we looked loose around the middle and some of our tackle management was off, but the bench was the difference.
“When [Kelepi] Tanginoa, [Chris], Green and [Jordan] Crowther came on they were very good.
“Then in the second half we completed at 93 per cent - that gives you a great footing and a great opportunity to go and win the game.”
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Hide AdChester will select from last week’s 17, plus Adam Tangata, George King, Connor Bailey and Tinirau Arona, who is in contention for the first time since suffering an anterior crucial ligament injury last May.
Jake Connor (knee) drops out of Hull’s side. Josh Jones, Joe Cator, Jordan Johnstone, Masi Matongo and Connor Wynne are vying for a call-up.
Wakefield Trinity: from Walker, Johnstone, Tupou, Lyne, Miller, K Wood, Arona, Ashurst, Westerman, Pitts, Kopczak, Green, Tangata, Crowther, Jowitt, King, J Wood, Atkins, Bailey, Tanginoa, Navarrete.
Hull: from Shaul, Tuimavave, Griffin, Sneyd, Taylor, Houghton, Satae, Jones, Ma’u, Sao, Kelly, Cator, Johnstone, Matongo, Fash, Lane, Bowden, Fonua, Wynne, Buchanan, Ellis.
Kick-off: Friday, 7.45pm.
Referee: James Child (Dewsbury).
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