New signing Ben Harris won't arrive in time to help avert a mounting injury crisis at the Bulls after red tape surrounding his work permit delayed his departure from Australia until Monday.

Harris, who will wear the No 13 jersey, had been named in the 20-man squad to face Salford tomorrow night but will now debut at home against Warrington next Sunday.

The news is a blow to coach Brian Noble, who had hoped to slot Harris straight into his line-up following the loss of back-rower Brad Meyers to a medial knee ligament strain that is expected to keep him sidelined for up to a month.

With Mick Withers still only a 50-50 chance of returning from a knee injury and Lee Radford also under an injury cloud, Noble will be forced to field a youthful line-up for the trip to The Willows.

Despite the setback, Noble remains optimistic that Harris's capture will prove the turning point in the season.

"We've got a few bumps and bruises but it has been quite a cathartic week so hopefully this bit of good news is going to kick us on for the rest of the year," said Noble.

"It's the best news we've had for a while at the club. He's a very good player and to secure somebody of his talent at such a young age has been a big job.

"It has been a long time in the

cooking. There was a lot of hard work done by the chairman and myself so we are really, really pleased."

After missing out on key target Gareth Ellis and Kiwi international Vinnie Anderson, Noble admitted he had wondered when the club's fortunes in the player market would turn.

"You do start to wonder if you are a bit of a Jonah, a bit jinxed, but these things happen. Sometimes circumstances beyond your control take over but this is a nice way to come back. I can't emphasise enough how highly respected Ben is in Australia."

The capture of Harris was by no means a sure thing, with the Bulldogs proving extremely reluctant to release him.

"It was a bit nip and tuck but the driving force was that Ben wanted to come to Bradford," said Noble.

"He has really knocked the door down to get here. He was a contracted Bulldogs player so I am really, really pleased that he decided to choose us.

"He was a big force in the NRL and a lot of clubs over there would have liked to have signed him."

l Matt Cook has been included in the Bulls' 20-man squad after being cleared by an RFL judicial panel following his sending off in an academy fixture against Leigh.