Bradford Bulls will be without two key men when they take on Keighley Cougars this weekend at Odsal. The two sides meet in what promises to be a hotly contested trial match as the local rivals battle it out for bragging rights in West Yorkshire.
The pair won’t play their first competitive match for another month at least yet, with the Challenge Cup second round set to be played over the weekend of January 25. However, both Bradford and Keighley will be hoping to turn in an encouraging performance on Sunday as they ready themselves for the road ahead.
Brian Noble will be in charge of the Bulls for the first time since returning to the dugout but a couple of key names won’t be involved through injury. Former Castleford Tigers and Huddersfield Giants playmaker Tom Holmes misses out after going under the knife and the same can be said for Jordan Lilley.
“We’re getting surprisingly healthy, but we’ve had operations for Tom Holmes and Jordan Lilley,” Noble told the Telegraph and Argus. “Tom’s back in full training, but we won’t be using him on Sunday, and Jordan’s not ready after his minor surgery either.
“We have a couple of lads who we’re 50/50 on for Sunday, who we think could play but might not. But we’ll be putting out a really strong 25 and I think most of the new signings will probably feature.”
Of course, Noble isn’t expected to field his strongest available XIII, but as the head coach says, Sunday’s contest certainly looks like an opportunity for fans to catch a glimpse of the club’s off-season recruits. Waqa Blake is the arguably the most high profile and he’s been in training after his release from St Helens.
James Donaldson, Matty Gee, Guy Armitage, James Meadows, Joe Keyes, Ronan Michael and Emmanuel Waine have joined Bradford Bulls too and a number of those are expected to get a run out.
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