Down with this sort of thing! |
The parliament in Spanish Catalunya this week outlawed bullfighting. Fortunately, they don't have jurisdiction over either French Catalonia or West Yorkshire, for the former travel to the latter to indulge in a spot of matadoring. Bradford is the destination with the Bulls on a run of nine straight defeats and the Dragons, despite being hopelessly inconsistent, with a couple of major scalps under their belt in recent weeks.
We preview the game here |
There were a number of major players missing from the Dragons side that squeezed past Warrington at the Aimé Giral a week ago. Clint Greenshields was one and he is again absent from the squad for this one. Dimitri Pelo is back though and will presumably slot back in at full-back with Cyril Stacul, who went well there last week, shifting back to the wing. Freddie Vaccari drops out. Kane Bentley comes back in after missing the last eight - he'll slot straight in for the injured Casey McGuire - but out for even longer has been Chris Walker. He's been for a neck brace, in a Brent Tate stylee, to protect the damaged vertebrae which has kept him out since March. It says a lot about both Walker and the rest of the side that despite missing all those games, it was only two weeks ago that he was passed as the club's leading try-scorer for the season. If he plays, that will probably end Dane Carlaw's stint at centre to bolster the pack where David Ferriol is also back after missing the last four. Tony Gigot is back from Toulouse for this one after a try-scoring debut for TO at Keighley. Dallas Johnson misses out, his immense workrate finally catching up with him as he sits out his first match of the season, the last player at the club to miss a match.
It's been a tough time for Bradford in the last couple of months. The continued string of losses saw the club part company with Steve McNamara ahead of schedule. Lee St Hilaire has stepped up into the top job for the rest of the season before former Dragons boss - and Matthew Elliott's assistant at Odsal back in the day - Mick Potter assumes control. They've been doing it really tough and are missing both their key off-season signings, Brett Kearney and Matt Orford, once again. Paul Sykes is back from suspension and will have to take on much of the play-making responsibility. They've still a clutch of dangerous players, none moreso than Steve Menzies, and despite them stinking the league out in recent weeks, they'll fancy their chances of ending the run against the bottom side.
The forecast says sun, but with Odsal's famed micro-climate, wrap up warm just in case.
The 19-man squads:
DRAGONS: Steve Bell, Sébastien Raguin, Setaimata Sa, Dimitri Pelo, Thomas Bosc, David Ferriol, Olivier Elima, Greg Mounis, Cyrille Gossard, Dane Carlaw, Julien Touxagas, Kane Bentley, Jamal Fakir, Chris Walker, Rémi Casty, Tony Gigot, Cyril Stacul, Mickaël Simon, Brent Sherwin.
BRADFORD: Paul Sykes, Steve Crossley, Rikki Sheriffe, Craig Kopczak, Danny Addy, Andy Lynch, Steve Menzies, Stuart Reardon, Wayne Godwin, Heath L'Estrange, Dave Halley, Chris Nero, Michael Platt, Tom Olbison, Glenn Hall, Jamie Langley, Michael Worrincy, Elliott Whitehead, Vinny Finigan.
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