Bradford Bulls coach John Kear is keen to see Jordan Lilley and Dec Patton further develop their partnership at the expense of Leigh Centurions when the Championship rivals meet in the fifth round of the Challenge Cup. (Monday, March 14).
Lilley returned from a knee injury picked up in pre-season training to play alongside Patton, who helped Warrington Wolves win the Challenge Cup in 2019 and has joined from Salford Red Devils, for the first time as Batley Bulldogs were beaten 21-20 at Odsal last time out.
The Premier Sports-televised Cup clash comes four weeks after Leigh beat Bradford 38-4 in a league game, which was also screened by the subscription channel.
Since then, Leigh have won three out of three, including a Cup fourth-round defeat of Widnes Vikings, and are the favourites to further progress, and seal an 1895 Cup berth.
But Kear, a Challenge Cup winner as coach of Sheffield Eagles in 1998 and Hull in 2005 and whose side won at London Broncos in round four, knows home advantage and the availability of ex-Leeds Rhinos player Lilley is a boost.
“We were very much a left-dominant team, but with Jordan returning, now we are able to attack on both sides of the pitch,” he said. “He opens up the game for us.”
Bradford aim to make it six unbeaten in home meetings with Leigh, who last won at Odsal in March 1994.
And Kear continued: “With the substantial financial backing Leigh have, they are strong, but in the Championship, anybody can beat anybody.”
Joint-skipper and ex-Bradford player Adam Sidlow accepts Leigh laboured a little in beating Newcastle Thunder 34-18 in their last game.
But the experienced forward insisted: “We’re four unbeaten and it’s a sign of a good team to put that many points on another without playing that well.
“When we put some good stuff together, we can do a number on opponents.”
Leigh coach Adrian Lam, who has included recent signing Krisnan Inu in his 21-man squad, said: “They’re a quality side. We’re expecting a different test to the one we had a few weeks ago. They’ve got a couple of key players back – ball players – which means they will pose a different attacking threat.”
The Betfred Challenge Cup Sixth Round draw will be held tonight (Monday) at 6.45pm and it will be broadcast live from Elland Road, Leeds, on BBC Look North and BBC Sport Online.
Joining the BBC’s Tanya Arnold for the draw will be Great Britain legend Lee Crooks and the Royal Navy’s Ben Taylor – known to many Rugby League fans as ‘Yorkshire Prose’ for his distinctive style of poetry on social media.
Sixth Round fixtures will be played on the weekend of March 25-27.
Bradford 21-man squad: Elliot Kear, Matty Dawson-Jones, Rhys Evans, Kieran Gill, Ryan Millar, Dec Patton, Jordan Lilley, Anthony Walker, Thomas Doyle, Steve Crossley, Aaron Murphy, Sam Scott, Ben Evans, George Flanagan, Jordan Baldwinson, Ebon Score, Samy Kibula, Joe Burton, AJ Wallace, Eldon Myers, Chester Butler.
Leigh 21-man squad: Caleb Aekins, Jy Hitchcox, Keanan Brand, Nene Macdonald, Tom Nisbet, Ben Reynolds, Joe Mellor, Adam Sidlow, Aaron Smith, Mark Ioane, Joe Wardle, Sam Stone, Tom Amone, Ata Hingano, Ed Chamberlain, Jacob Jones, John Asiata, Luis Roberts, Kieran Dixon, Edwin Ipape, Krisnan Inu.
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