Karl Pratt is hoping a run-out off the bench against Widnes on Sunday will help him press his case for selection in the forthcoming showdowns with St Helens and Leeds.

Pratt has been a spectator since suffering a serious shoulder injury in the opening round match against Wigan.

The long hours with nothing much to do have been tough on a player coach Brian Noble looks upon as a catalyst for his side.

"It has been tough," said Pratt.

"It is upsetting being around the place knowing that all of the lads are out there doing their game prep while you have to sit in the gym.

"I basically sat on a bike

pedalling away for the last two months. Mentally, it does you in. But when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel that is when you start picking yourself back up.

"It has been really hard watching the boys and not being able to get out there and contribute but that time is up now and hopefully I'll be back on Sunday." Pratt is still experiencing some discomfort in his shoulder and is rated only 50/50 to make the squad for Widnes, but with two massive games on the horizon he is desperate for a chance to boost his match-fitness.

"You can be as fit as you want. You can run a million marathons but once you get out there it is completely different. So I'm hoping to play half a game to blow the cobwebs away and hopefully make a good enough contribution to stake a claim for the Saints and Leeds games.

"Everybody wants to play in the big games and they are the two biggest games for us. Hopefully I'll be fit enough and I'll be able to stake my claim."

Saints and Leeds have overtaken the Bulls as many people's favourites to make the Grand Final but that is fine as far as the Bulls were concerned, said Pratt.

"We have struggled injury-wise. We've had a lot of top-quality players out for lengthy periods.

"We have not played anything like as well as we can and we are still in second spot.

"You read in the press that everyone says it will be Leeds or Saints. We like that. Let them keep saying that. If we look after our own game then we'll be there or thereabouts.

"We have got a lot of improvement left. We will just continue progressing steadily towards the end of the season."

Hull director of rugby Shaun McRae is hoping a record crowd can help his side move to within touching distance of Super League leaders Leeds.

The East Yorkshire club are hoping to top their previous best Super League attendance of 19,549 for tonight's visit of the Rhinos.

McRae's men have won seven of their last eight matches, including a rare success at Odsal, and a fourth-successive win would enable them to move above the Bulls and close the gap on the leaders to just two points with a game in hand.

Leeds have been unbeaten in their last seven cup and league meetings with Hull, but only Wigan have a better current run in Super League than Hull, who scored 15 tries against Salford and then demonstrated awesome defence to nil Huddersfield last time out.