BEN Kavanagh has become the second player inside a week to commit his future to the Bulls, giving the club another major boost ahead of tomorrow's visit of Workington.

The Scotland international prop joined Bradford from Widnes during the winter on a one-year deal and quickly emerged as one of the best close-season signings.

After homegrown hooker Adam O'Brien signed a long-term deal earlier this week, Kavanagh has now put pen to paper on a contract which keeps him at Odsal until the end of the 2018 campaign.

Kavanagh had a year remaining on his deal at Vikings but when boss Denis Betts told him that his playing opportunities would be scarce in 2016, he began searching for a new club.

Hull KR expressed a firm interest at the end of last season but the 28-year-old from Elland was keen to move back to his West Yorkshire roots and opted to join the Bulls.

Kavanagh enjoyed a couple of impressive performances during the pre-season friendlies against Leeds and Castleford, suggesting he would become a mainstay of the pack this year.

But he then suffered torn ankle ligaments during the opening-round win over Featherstone Rovers on February 7 and was forced to undergo surgery. He is set to return from injury in the coming weeks and cannot wait to get back out on the pitch.

Kavanagh said: "I'm really happy to have signed an extension on my contract. I've really enjoyed my time here since I arrived and I'm looking forward to moving forward with the club.

"Steve (Ferres) and the board and the rest of the club have believed in me and I really want to repay them once I return from injury and show the fans what I can really do."

Bulls managing director Ferres is delighted to have secured the services of Kavanagh and several more stars are expected to follow suit in the coming days.

Ferres said: "We are thrilled to have Ben with us for another two years. He showed his ability in the friendlies and against Featherstone and it will be great to have him back in the side once he returns from injury in the next few weeks."

Tomorrow's visit of Workington should see the return of key prop Adam Sidlow following his recovery from a broken hand.

Winger Danny Williams could also feature for the first time this season as Bradford bid to give outgoing head coach Jimmy Lowes a winning send-off.

Lowes has undertaken a hand-over period at training this week and will attend tomorrow's match before interim head coach Matt Diskin takes charge while the Bulls search for a new permanent boss.

Bradford's hopes of victory have been bolstered by the news that former Odsal star Jarrod Sammut has been ruled out with a calf injury.

The Malta international is being assessed by a specialist to find out the full extent of the damage and see how long he will be out of action.

Meanwhile, coach Phil Veivers believes Bradford will be a tough prospect on their home turf.

He said: "I have been looking at Bradford's last three games and how they have gone. They lost a couple prior to winning against Dewsbury but they are a very good team.

"They have a lot of talented players and we have to give them respect. We have done all the homework on the opposition and now we need to apply what we have learned this weekend."