Hull KR team to face Leigh predicted with decision to make in forwards

Hull Kingston Rovers will have to make a change to how their forwards line up with Jai Whitbread, a starting prop again against Wigan Warriors away, being suspended for Friday night's game away against Leigh Leopards.

The good news for Rovers is that their other regular starting prop, Jess Sue, is fit after being considered a wrist concern following last Friday's 24-20 defeat at Wigan. The game at Leigh will be the first time since July 20, when Rovers won at Leeds Rhinos, that Sue and Whitbread have been not been the starting props - a run of seven successive Super League rounds. At Leeds, the starting props were Sue and Dean Hadley with Whitbread coming off the bench and scoring a crucial try. Whitbread's form was being questioned at the time but he has impressed since then, with Peters saying in the build-up to this match at Leigh that he has been playing "extremely well".

Hadley, a starting second rower at Wigan, being given a start in the front row at Leigh appears an option - with Matty Storton stepping up from the bench into the second row being another option. George King, meanwhile, has been recalled to the 21-man squad, while Jack Brown can step back into the matchday squad, having been 18th man at Wigan. Brown last started in the front row - when Sue also started - when Rovers won 13-12 at Castleford Tigers on June 20 - with Hadley a starting second rower that night.

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At full back, Niall Evalds has been back in training after a calf problem, which was not considered serious when it happened late last week - so the key issue could be the suspension of Whitbread.

Discussing that, Hull KR head coach Willie Peters said: "We talk about discipline all the time and we've got a disciplined group here. Jai is suspended this weekend for an accident of ricocheting into someone else, and his shoulder goes makes head contact; it's not intentional, he's not illegally going out to hurt someone. James Batchelor a couple of weeks ago (against St Helens) was a similar sort of thing. He goes to try to stop a ball runner in case he shows and goes, makes minimal contact, and he gets suspended for that. So there are things we are getting suspensions for that we don't want but it's not due to foul play or illegal play or anything like that. We can always tighten up and do better and that's what I do ask of the players."

Hull Kingston Rovers predicted team to face Leigh Leopards: Niall Evalds, Joe Burgess, Peta Hiku, Oliver Gildart, Ryan Hall, Tyrone May, Mikey Lewis, Jesse Sue, Matt Parcell, Dean Hadley, James Batchelor, Matty Storton, Elliot Minchella. Subs: Jez Litten, Sam Luckley, Kelepi Tanginoa, Jack Brown.

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