Hull conducted their walkabout at Wembley yesterday to the curious backdrop of a David Attenborough wildlife programme on the stadium big screens. Amateur behavioural scientists were left to decipher the body language behind Adam Dykes, the Australian scrum half, being seated alone, plugged into his iPod and a non-participant in Hull's familiarisation tour.

Either Dykes, the potential key player against St Helens today, was getting himself in the zone, or the knee injury that has restricted him to one appearance since the semi-final has flared up again. If it has, Richard Agar, the Hull coach, will take a huge gamble on Richard Horne, who has not played since April when he suffered a career-threatening neck injury.

With Danny Houghton excluded from Hull's 19-man squad and Tommy Lee providing back-up on the bench at hooker to the vastly experienced Shaun Berrigan, the inference is that Dykes should play. “It goes without saying that Richard's not where we wanted him to be, but his neck's fine. 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,” Agar said before a final training session.

Hull, the biggest underdogs since Sheffield Eagles upset Wigan in 1998, have never won at Wembley, but Agar insisted that his patched-up team have the belief to prevail against the odds. “I've got a highly motivated team with nothing to lose,” he said.

St Helens are not the same physically intimidating prospect without the injured Jason Cayless and Maurie Fa'asavalu, but they have the all-round class to win the cup for a third straight year. Their decision not to make the traditional pre-Wembley visit yesterday could be interpreted as a snub, but does reflect a feeling of quiet confidence.