Bradford Bulls boss Kurt Haggerty is unsure how his side will fulfil this week’s fixture against Toulouse, given the fact that he has fewer than 17 available players.
Haggerty confirmed to the press today that, of his squad of 33, 17 players are unavailable, meaning he is forced to rely on some academy players to step up and make the trip.
Following on from last week’s defeat to Leigh Leopards, Bradford lost even more players to injury, as well as prop Loghan Lewis to a one-match suspension.
“There will be no Ethan Ryan. There will be no Phoenix Steinwede… Joe Keyes won’t play. Dan Russell won’t play… Zac [Fulton] won’t play.”
Asked how Saturday’s game will go given he has less than 17, Haggerty replied: “We will [fulfil the fixture]. Right now I’m not 100% sure how, but we’ll get 17.”
“…The loan deadline has gone, so we’ll be bringing a couple of kids up from the academy and the reserves to come in and play and travel with us.”
One man who could potentially feature is young centre Harvey Ward, who has been named in 21-man squads on occasion this year, and played in pre-season games, but is yet to debut officially.
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Explaining a bit about the youngster, the Bulls boss said: “He’s young, he’s exciting, he’s desperate for opportunities.
“He’s not actually a full first-team player, so the kid works as well as training, so it’s an unbelievable opportunity for him if he gets the opportunity to play.
“…He’s physically capable, but again it’s the duty of care. I’ve had that for a little while now in regards to the injuries when it was bad, now it’s critical.
“Unfortunately, I’m not in a position where I can pick and choose.”
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Bradford Bulls boss talks player welfare as long-term absentee still hopeful of World Cup appearance
With so many players injured, Haggerty was asked by Serious About Rugby League at what point does the number of injuries and reliance on players not ready for Super League become a player welfare concern.
He replied: “I’m not sure. If we weren’t so deep into the season, after this week we’ve only got two games to go, I think it’d become a bigger issue.
“Again, I’m hoping we get 17 out there [against Toulouse], and we can get 17 out there for the rest of the season.”
It is believed that one of the 16 available is Ryan Sutton, who is not 100% after a thumb injury forced him to miss last week’s game. Haggerty is hoping the ex-NRL man will return to the side, but he will be given right up until kick-off to prove his fitness.
“He’s done part of the session today,” the boss confirmed. “We’ve formed a cast for him on his thumb. He’s got through the session okay, but he hasn’t done contact, so I’ll probably take him up until game day.”
One long-term absentee has been Esan Marsters, who hasn’t played since an Achilles injury in April. Haggerty revealed that it is “highly unlikely” that the Cook Islands star will play for the Bulls this year, however his World Cup hopes are a lot more positive.
“He’s hopeful,” the boss said regarding Marsters’ chances of playing for the Cook Islands. ” There’s a conversation needed around it about what it looks like for the care of Esan over there, if he is going to play, but there’s a further chance he’ll be out there.”
