Stand-in Huddersfield Giants coach Andy Kelly is not expecting to make wholesale changes to the side for tomorrow night’s Challenge Cup quarter-final clash with Wakefeild Trinity.
Boosted by a 31-30 victory at Salford Red Devils, the Giants first away win in Super League this season, Kelly is unlikely to see too much change in the club’s injury problems.
However, he is likely to have hooker and club captain Ryan Hinchcliffe available after a rib injury.
The 31-year-old former Melbourne Storm star missed the success at the AJ Bell Stadium, but Kelly is hopeful Hinchcliffe will be fit.
“There will not be a flood of players aboput to return for the Wakefield game,” said Kelly, a former Wakefield player and coach.
“However, it is looking possible that Ryan will be fit again for the Challenge Cup.
“But that it is about it and there won’t be too many players coming back in the short term.”
Kelly is still taking it game by game, having stated that he is not looking to take the role of head coach with the Giants in the long term, and added to the reported list of potential candidates is former Giants player Brad Drew, who made 99 appearances in two stints at the club.
Meanwhile Giants three-quarters Jerry McGillvary and Leroy Cudjoe are in the reckoning for the England squad for the 2016 Four Nations Series, it has emerged.
They were among a group of 31 specially selected to attend last week’s get-together with new England head coach Wayne Bennett during his whistle-stop trip to the UK.
Bennett, who has succeeded Steve McNamara as national coach on a two-year contract, took advantage of a bye for his club Brisbane Broncos in the NRL to step up his preparations for the end-of-season internationals.
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During his seven-day visit, Bennett took in Super League games at Huddersfield, Widnes and Warrington, met the staff with whom he will be working during the Four Nations and visited the facilities England plan to use during the tournament.
Bennett refused all requests for media interviews during his trip but the Rugby Football League has released the names of the players invited to his get-together in Leeds.
The England squad for the get-together was: A Walmsley, R Roby, M Percival, K Amor, J Greenwood (all St Helens), B Currie, B Westwood, C Hill, D Clark, S Ratchford (all Warrington), B Ferres, Z Hardaker, K Watkins, R Hall, T Briscoe, S Ward (all Leeds), J Bateman, D Sarginson, L Farrell, D Manfredi, S O’Loughlin, M Smith, J Tomkins, S Tomkins, G Williams (all Wigan), J McGilvary, L Cudjoe (both Huddersfield), Kevin Brown (Widnes), Luke Gale (Castleford), M Sneyd, S Taylor (both Hull).
