TALENTED Bulls full back Gregg McNally is facing another lengthy lay-off.

The 27-year-old had his first taste of action last Sunday since early April after two quad injuries.

However, Bulls coach John Kear has revealed that Whitehaven-born McNally, who came off the pitch against North Wales Crusaders at Odsal after feeling some tightness, will be out for a third spell after suffering yet another quad injury.

The former England coach said: "It is not the same injury as before but is a tear in the same quad.

"There is more chance of someone winning the lottery than suffering two tears in different places to the same quad."

McNally started the first six competitive matches of the season – against York City Knights, Keighley Cougars, Hunslet and Oldham (league) and West Wales Raiders and Hunslet (Ladbrokes Challenge Cup).

He then missed league matches at Workington Town, Doncaster, Newcastle Thunder and Hemel Stags and at home to Coventry, West Wales Raiders and London Skolars, plus the Challenge Cup tie at Warrington Wolves, before returning to the fray last weekend.

Kear added: "Gregg is expected to be out for four to six weeks, and the game that we are targeting for his comeback is the league match at Hunslet on July 15, which is where he picked up his original injury.

"It is a pity as Gregg is one of our main players, but we still have Brandon Pickersgill, who has been playing well for us all season."

The news is much better on Mikey Wood, who limped off with a knee injury late on against Crusaders, while Kear is also confident that his Bulls team can cope with having only one specialist hooker.

Already without George Flanagan (broken hand), they lost Sam Hallas to a 'dead leg' against Crusaders and cannot recall Reiss Butterworth from his loan spell with Batley Bulldogs until after the Bulls' potentially tough match at Whitehaven on Sunday.

Kear said: "We still have Vila Halafihi and we can mix and match when he is not on the field – but I am not saying who is going to fill in at hooker."

Meanwhile, cash-strapped Whitehaven have tempted Challenge Cup winner Paul Wood out of retirement to play for them for free.

The utility forward, now 36, made 237 appearances in a 15-year spell with Warrington Wolves, scoring 38 tries.

Wood, twice capped by England, then moved to Featherstone Rovers for the 2015 season, making 15 appearances.

He won the Challenge Cup with Wolves in 2010 and 2012 but lost the 2012 Super League Grand Final with them, playing on despite rupturing his right testicle (which was later removed) following a knee to the groin in the first minute of the second half.