The latest Hull FC team and injury news.
Hull FC loose-forward James Bell.
Andy Last has confirmed that Hull FC forward James Bell will play against Warrington Wolves in the club’s final home game of the 2026 season on Saturday evening.
The loose forward did it tough away at Catalans Dragons last week, taking a knock to his knee towards the end of the game. The player stayed down for several minutes after what looked like a hip-drop tackle before being strapped up to complete the game.
Suffering two previous knee injuries earlier this season, Bell has now come through recovery and training this week, having had some fluid drained to take his place in the side.
“He had a little bit of swelling in there on Monday,” Last told Hull Live. “The physios and the medical team have done a great job in getting Belly ready. They’ve taken a bit of fluid out of that knee just to help with the pain.
“He’s come through training unscathed. He’s got a compression sleeve on it, but he’s done a good job and he’s been very professional to get himself right.
“He’s a tough player and he’s really contributed to us over the last few weeks with that link in the middle of the field. He was good again at the weekend. He was kamikaze sometimes defensively, but he’s certainly got a great skill set and it certainly complements us from an offensive point of view.”
Elsewhere, back row forward Connor Bailey will come into contention after recovering from a broken collarbone, with Last praising the player’s form prior to injury three months ago and singling out his versatility as a facet that could get him back into the matchday fold.
“Connor has been missed,” Last said. “He’s very versatile. He’s a good footballer. He can play six or 13, and he’s played that role for us. He’s got a good pair of hands and a good feel for the attacking side of the game. He’s a good line runner on the edge.
“He was just finding his feet in Super League again and then unfortunately he picked up that collarbone injury, but he’s a good player and has added some depth to our squad.”
On the injury front, Hull remain without Cade Cust and Zak Hardaker. Cust has a shoulder issue and is currently managing the pain with injections before a scan, while Hardaker has a calf strain.
Asked if either player will be fit enough to play the final two away games at Toulouse Olympique and/or Leeds Rhinos, Last added: “Cade is a pain threshold. He’s got some damage going on in that AC joint in his shoulder.
“We hoped giving him a rest last week would do him so good, but it hasn’t responded to that rest and it’s not quite where it needs to be.
“It’s probably a pain tolerance thing for Cade after playing with it for five or six weeks. We’re getting that rescanned and having a look at it.
“This week has just come a little bit too soon for Zak. He’s still feeling that calf area.”
Elsewhere, the likes of John Asiata (hamstring) and Brad Fash (knee) are unlikely to feature again this year, while Will Pryce (ACL), Yusuf Aydin (knee), Will Kirby (ACL), Callum Kemp (shoulder), and Joe Ward (ACL) have already been ruled out for the rest of the season.