PAUL Clough is looking forward to clashing with legendary former NRL star Fuifui Moimoi in tomorrow’s crunch Championship opener at Leigh.

The Bulls prop looks certain to play a key role in the front row as Jimmy Lowes’ men seek to offset the absence of several players and beat their main promotion rivals.

With Epalahame Lauaki nowhere near match fit and fellow props Karl Davies and Dan Fleming both out injured, the onus will fall on the vastly-experienced Clough and Adam Sidlow to lead by example.

Former St Helens man Clough is up for the challenge and is looking forward to crossing swords with 35-year-old Moimoi, a cult figure Down Under after 11 years at Parramatta.

Clough said: “Leigh are a good side, so it will be a tough test and a good benchmark to see where we are at.

“Fuifui has obviously done a lot in the game. He was at Parramatta for a long time and has played in Grand Finals and for New Zealand and Tonga too.

“It’s great for the Championship and the British game that a player of his calibre has come over here.

“He’s a big, tough player and definitely someone we’re going to have to watch.”

Clough fulfilled a childhood dream when he joined St Helens as a 16-year-old before spending the next decade at his home-town club.

The 27-year-old, who played for Widnes on loan for the majority of last term, is now fully focused on helping the Bulls to return to the top flight. He accepts they face a stern challenge from Paul Rowley’s men, who dominated the Championship last season and won all but one of their regular-round matches.

Clough added: “Leigh have been in this division for a while and probably know it a bit better than us.

“They have got a big pack, a good half-back pairing and experienced players like Bob Beswick and Sean , as well as some big outside backs who carry the ball strongly.

“They’ve had the nucleus of that team for a while so they know how to play with each other and what their individual jobs are, which counts for a lot.

“They’re a good side from what we’ve seen of them on video.

“You always want to kick off the season with a win and get the ball rolling, but it’s also about peaking at the right time.

“That probably means peaking for the Challenge Cup games and at the end of the season.

“I’m not saying the games before that don’t matter but it’s about winning these games early on and building momentum for the back end of the season.

“I’m really looking forward to doing my best for Bradford and hopefully reaping the rewards come the back end of the year.

“With the way things are going with this new structure, the gulf in class between the Championship and Super League is going to get smaller.

“The real test of that will be at the end of the season when you have the Super Eights.

“Then we will know what the difference actually is between the top end of the Championship and the bottom end of Super League.

“Ultimately who gets promoted will be the answer to that question.”