Bradford Bulls coach Mick Potter is preparing to take a risk by throwing former London Broncos half-back Luke Gale into this afternoon’s Carnegie Challenge Cup tie at Warrington (-20 Match Handicap). The 23-year-old goal kicking scrum-half has been sidelined for the past two months with ankle ligament damage just three games into his Bulls career, but he is poised to return for the all-Super League fifth-round clash.
The coach, who led the Catalan Dragons to the final in 2007, said “There's a risk but he's potentially a player that can turn a match for you. He's probably a little bit under-done and it's one of those options you have to weigh up - what's good for the team and what's good for Luke Gale. At this stage the signs are that it's maybe a risk we need to take.”
Bradford (+20 Match Handicap) had just 18 senior players available for last Sunday's Super League game against Huddersfield and he lost Australian three-quarter Adrian Purtell in that match with a hamstring injury. However, hooker Heath L'Estrange has completed a two-match suspension and full-back Brett Kearney is rated a 50-50 chance of recovering from injury.
They face a Warrington side (3/1 to win Challenge Cup) who beat Castleford 54-6 in the latest round of Super League matches. The Wolves will have prop forward Garreth Carvell back from a two-match ban and coach Tony Smith will make a late call on skipper Adrian Morley, who has missed the last two games with a neck problem, and hooker Michael Monaghan, who has been sidelined for a month with a knee injury.
Add new comment