PETER Gentle has told his Hull FC side they cannot afford to let Hull KR dominate today's derby through the middle again, warning his players they must match Rovers in the pack.
Gentle says Hull's cross-city rivals found metres far too easy to come by in the last derby at the KC, pointing to that aspect as a factor in their pre-season friendly loss too.
With Michael Dobson now back for KR, having missed the last derby win for his team, Gentle says it is far too dangerous to allow Rovers similar success today, if they are to register a first-ever derby win at the Magic Weekend.
"We've spoken about the forward battle," Gentle told the Mail.
"In the last game and in the friendly, they marched us down the field a little too easy for my liking.
"They continually put Dobson on the front foot in the friendly and we cannot afford to let them do that again, it is too dangerous."
Hull's pack gave a season-best display at Warrington last week to help the Black and Whites to an impressive victory.
Gentle is looking for a repeat display at the Etihad Stadium today (4.30pm) when Hull meet Rovers in the 219th derby.
The return of former Robins prop Liam Watts from injury has strengthened Gentle's options and with the battle of the middle identified as crucial, Gentle is hopeful Hull can enjoy more possession than in the last derby.
"If we can share possession 50/50 with them we'll be in with a real shot," he added.
"Last time we played they had a 90 per cent completion rate and they did something similar last week. They are very good at managing a game if you allow them to.
"We have identified a few areas we need to improve and we will be alert in some areas where we feel they are at their best."
Having reached a season low at Easter following the home derby defeat, Gentle's side have turned their campaign around in impressive fashion.
That contrast in form and results has seen the Hull coach refuse to look back too much at past results, with Gentle stressing his present side cannot be compared to the one which trudged off the field as losers on Good Friday.
"We are a different animal this year than we were last year. In fact, we are a different animal now than we were when we met them in round nine. We are looking forward to it," said Gentle.
"We've been able to sense the excitement during the week, the boys haven't been able to go anywhere without being stopped by fans.
"We have been going well for a while now. We are all excited about this game."
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