Agar takes a gamble.

HULL coach Richard Agar is prepared to take a “calculated” risk with his team against hot favourites St Helens in today’s Carnegie Challenge Cup final at Wembley.
Hooker Danny Houghton was the unlucky player to miss out when Agar trimmed his 19-man squad by one at the eve-of-final walkabout but the coach will not reveal his line-up until an hour before kick-off.
Richard Horne, who has not played since April because of a career-threatening neck injury, and fellow half-back Adam Dykes, who has only played once since the semi-final because of a knee injury, both remain in contention.
With Houghton out of the picture, Tommy Lee is likely to provide back-up to hooker Shaun Berrigan, which points to Horne missing out unless Agar gambles on the player’s chronic lack of match fitness.
“The players know the team but we’ve another training session yet to negotiate and I don’t want to tempt fate, knowing what we’ve been through this year,” said Agar.
“It goes without saying that Richard’s not where we wanted him to be but his neck’s fine and the work he’s done in three or four weeks is tremendous.
“We’re picking a team that we think can win the game and, if we feel we need to take a risk, we’ll take it. There are no second chances.”
Hull have never won at Wembley – they lost there in 1959, 1960, 1980, 1983 and 1985 and drew in 1982 – and are the biggest underdogs since Sheffield Eagles beat Wigan 10 years ago.
But Agar insists his patched-up side have the self-belief to spring an upset, saying: “I’ve got a highly-motivated team with nothing to lose.”
St Helens captain Keiron Cunningham is determined to help the Challenge Cup kings to a third straight win – because he fears his side’s reign will soon come to an end.
“We’d like to win every trophy and be a part of every big game,” Cunningham said, “but I think it will happen less and less in the future. The competition is getting tougher and tougher.”