New Hull FC half-back Marc Sneyd is confident his side will be ready for their opening Super League XX trip to the Giants.

The Black and Whites wrapped up their pre-season schedule with a 46-10 defeat at Wakefield last Sunday.

But with the majority of senior players missing for Hull that day, with head coach Lee Radford giving his fringe players a chance to stake a late claim to be included at Huddersfield on Sunday, February 8, former Castleford man Sneyd is confident his new club can secure a top eight Super League finish.

“As a minimum we’ve got to be in the Super 8s this season,” he said.

“There’s no way we can afford not to make that eight with the players we have here, and I don’t think anybody here is worried we won’t make it.”

Avoiding a bottom-four position after 23 rounds and a subsequent fight for Super League survival in 2016 is the aim for many clubs.

It’s a position Hull would find themselves in based on last year’s results, however with a new squad and new confidence, Sneyd doesn’t believe that will be the case again.

“I think everyone’s settled really well. It’s a relaxed atmosphere here too which helps, and I think everyone is on the same page,” added the 23-year-old.

“We’re all pretty confident with the way we’ve been going in training and we are quite positive about our prospects.

“We’ve got some good competition here which will keep us all focused. The competition is just what you want, as you can’t be too laid back and think you’re a certainty to play every week.

“We’ll be ready for the season to start and the first game at Huddersfield.”