Bulls v Quins: Teams
Matt Orford is back for Bradford as they welcome bottom club Harlequins to the Grattan Odsal Stadium on Friday night.
Last Updated: 25/03/10 1:58pm
Bradford will be hoping there's no place like home on Friday night when they take on struggling Harlequins at the Grattan Odsal Stadium.
The Bulls have lost back-to-back games on their travels, a 33-8 reverse at Warrington being followed by an 18-6 defeat to Hull last time out.
However their last outing in front of their own fans saw them record a superb 22-20 triumph over league leaders Wigan having been 20-0 down at half time.
Coach Steve McNamara has named an unchanged 19-man squad, with prop Danny Sculthorpe still missing through injury.
Crucially for the Bulls boss, the players are now also over the worst of a virus that swept through the camp over the past fortnight.
Australian Matt Orford fell ill shortly before kick-off and didn't play against Hull last Friday, while compatriot Brett Kearney took part in the game at the KC Stadium despite not having trained in the build-up.
Tough period
"It has affected us in the last two weeks but we seem to have come through that," McNamara told the club's website.
"Matt Orford is okay now. He probably got the worst dose of the lot and it really knocked him for six but he has trained very well this week and we are looking forward to having him back on Friday night.
"Because of the size of our squad it's important we get everyone firing because it is a tough period coming up over Easter and we need everyone in the squad performing for us over that period."
Harlequins have had injury problems of their own at the start of the 2010 season and make the trip up to Yorkshire without several first-teamers.
Influential duo Luke Dorn and Rob Purdham are still making their way back to full fitness after both players picked up shoulder problems in pre-season.
Karl Temata (hamstring) is also ruled out along with hooker Andy Ellis and Ryan Esders, who is still recovering from a broken hand.
There is some better news for coach Brian McDermott with Luke Gale and Ben Kaye back, the duo coming into the 19-man squad at the expense of Luke May and Martyn Smith.
Quins currently sit bottom of the table and have managed just one win in their seven outings so far. However, they did win away at Bradford last season.
Bradford squad: Sykes, Langley, Sheriffe, Kopczak, Donaldson, Scruton, Menzies, Kearney, Godwin, L'Estrange, Halley, Nero, Lynch, Reardon, Hall, Platt, Worrincy, Whitehead, Orford.
Harlequins squad: Bibb, Bolger, Bryan, Clubb, Gale, Golden, Howell, Jones-Bishop, Kaye, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Melling, O'Callaghan, Orr, Randall, Sharp, Ward, Wilkes, Williams, Williamson.