GREAT Britain coach Brian Noble is ready to pit his wits against the man still widely tipped to be his No2 for this autumn's Tri Nations series against Australia and New Zealand.
Speculation remains rife that Giants coach Jon Sharp will be handed a position with the national team at some stage in the near future.
It would be another clear indication of Sharp's standing in the game if he were to be given the nod and also a sign of his widely acknowledged coaching skills.
But even the McAlpine chief may have his work cut out plotting a Giants victory against Noble's Bradford Bulls on Sunday (6.00).
Until the past few weeks, Sharp has been a relatively lucky man on the injury front.
In fact, in the opening quarter of the campaign Paul White (broken leg) was the only major injury victim.
Yet this weekend Sharp is struggling to name a 17 for what is by far one of the most daunting trips of the year.
Even with a full-strength squad, Huddersfield would be hard pressed to gain a win over the reigning Super League champions.
But with 13 players on a very chaotic treatment table, the task will be even harder.
One positive is the return of full-back Paul Reilly, who missed the 40-18 defeat at Wigan with an ankle injury.
He has trained all week and is certain to start at No1, although Stuart Donlan did an excellent job in his absence.
Sharp will give late fitness tests to a number of his injured players and is hopeful the news is good.
As the week has progressed, the knocks have been improving and Sharp is feeling more confident that a solid patched-up side will take to the field.
The probable squads are:
Bradford Bulls: Reardon, Smith (Andy), Pratt, Johnson, Hape, Vainikolo, Withers, Pryce, Paul, Vagana, Smith (Aaran), Fielden, Peacock, Swann, Radford, Bridge, Langley Parker, Anderson.
Huddersfield Giants: Reilly, O'Hare, Donlan, Evans, St Hilaire, Gene, White, Fleary, Penkywicz, Joseph, Gannon, Crabtree, Jones, Roarty, Nero, Morrison, Grayshon.
Referee: Karl Kirkpatrick (Warrington).
