Stuart Reardon doesn't yet know what position he'll play against Hull on Friday night but one thing is certain - the man-of-the-match from last year's Grand Final will be back in the Bulls starting line-up.

The absence of regular wingers Tevita Vaikona and Lesley Vainikolo and the long-term injury to former Hull centre Toa Kohe-Love make Reardon a certainty to win back his starting place after spending much of the season cooling his heels on the bench after Mick Withers reclaimed the full back jersey.

Yesterday Reardon trained at full back, left centre and left wing as coach Brian Noble tested his combinations, but the former West Bowling amateur doesn't care what position he ends up playing - as long as he plays. Losing his starting spot after the highs of last season had been tough, admitted Reardon.

"I was disappointed but you can't do a lot about it. Mick is a good player and he has got a lot more experience than me, so I just had to take it on the chin and get on with it. I didn't do a lot wrong, I don't think."

And Reardon was happy to see his mentor Withers make a fine comeback from a career-threatening series of injuries.

"He's been on fire," said Reardon. "Last year when he was injured he'd come in before every game and tell me about where to position myself and who would be kicking. And I've learnt a lot just watching him. His support play is the best part of his game. He's a good bloke as well."

Vaikona's season-ending injury has opened the door for Reardon to cement a starting spot and he is determined to take his chance.

"It's shame that it has come like this," he said. "But you just have to bide your time in a team with so many great players."

l Tevita Vaikona has revealed he received a heart-breaking call from the New Zealand selectors informing him he'd been called up for Friday's ANZAC Test - the day after he suffered a season-ending knee injury against St Helens.

"I wish they called two days earlier so I could have gone off at half-time," said Vaikona, who will undergo surgery on May 10.