Kingstone Press Championship Preview: Batley Bulldogs v Halifax

Batley Bulldogs coach John Kear believes last week’s defeat against Workington Town will stand his squad in good stead ahead of a difficult month’s fixtures.

Sunday’s Kingstone Press Championship clash against Halifax starts a run of games that also sees Batley face Featherstone Rovers, Sheffield Eagles and Leigh Centurions.

Kear said: “We played well in patches against Workington, but we looked like a team who’d had a couple of easy wins and we weren’t used to being in a battle and having to grind a result out.

“That test, and that difficult game, will stand us in good stead this week.”

Kear has been dealt a major blow with Miles Greenwood being ruled out for four to six weeks with a broken thumb, while Alex Bretherton is also doubtful for Sunday’s match.

On Halifax, Kear added: “I’m really impressed with them. They’ve copped a lot of criticism at various times in the season, but they’ve stuck to what they believed in and they’re not far behind big spending teams.”

Halifax’s Simon Brown will be checked. He missed last week’s win over Keighley Cougars with a thumb injury, while Danny Cowling, Ben Heaton and Gareth Potts are all pushing for inclusion to face Batley.

However, coach Karl Harrison could be reluctant to change a winning team, having watched his side secure successive victories over Workington Town, Rochdale Hornets, Sheffield Eagles and Keighley in the last four weeks.