Whitehead return a welcome addition as Bradford Bulls look for a lift (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Tigers will be tough but promising signs at half-back for Bradford Bulls leave Mick Potter optimistic

6:40am Saturday 11th February 2012 in Bulls By Ross Heppenstall

Nobody seems quite sure how far Elliott Whitehead can go in the coming years, least of all Bulls coach Mick Potter.

Whitehead, 22, has shone brightly in a struggling Bradford side and will make his long-awaited return to action at Castleford tomorrow.

Potter said the highly-rated second rower will learn from the biting incident which earned him a five-game ban and cost him the chance to represent England Knights at the end of last season.

But asked how good Whitehead could be, Potter offered: “It’s up to Elliott how far he goes but I think he can play for England. That would be fantastic for him and I believe he can achieve that.”

Whitehead’s return will offset the absence of John Bateman, who hyper-extended his elbow in last weekend’s defeat to Catalan Dragons and is expected to be out for around a fortnight.

The short trip along the M62 to the PROBIZ Coliseum promises to be a tough encounter for Potter’s men.

It’s up to Elliott how far he goes but I think he can play for England

Mick Potter

Under the guidance of new coach Ian Millward, Castleford produced an impressive display to win at Salford last weekend.

Rangi Chase, last year’s Man of Steel, remains their key player but Potter is wary of young hookers Daryl Clark and Adam Milner.

The Bulls struggled around the ruck area last weekend and Potter said: “I thought Castleford were very good at Salford, given the conditions they played under.

“I think it snowed for the whole game but they were flamboyant with what they did and how they passed the ball. They handled the conditions very well and kicked well too.

“I think in Danny Orr, Chase, Milner and Clark they have a really good core of players to help them get round the park and can break teams down defensively.”

While admitting his side must pack a far stronger punch up front, Potter at least saw some promising signs of a partnership at half-back between Luke Gale and Jarrod Sammut.

The new recruits will continue in the halves tomorrow, with Sammut again given the nod ahead of Ben Jeffries.

Potter said: “Jarrod and BJ are very close and it was a big debate between the coaches last week about who to play alongside Luke.

“We’re not going to chop and change every week. We’ll just settle on things for now and see how we go for another week. There were some good signs and Jarrod broke the line a couple of times.

“There were also a couple of areas where we need to improve. Jarrod only kicked the ball once and it was a quality kick but it was symptomatic of how the game went.

“When you’re losing rucks, it’s hard for your halves. Last week Catalan controlled the ruck and we didn’t, so that gives us something to work on.

“They didn’t have it all their own way but they certainly, overall, performed better on the day as far as winning the ruck and controlling offensively and defensively for most of the game.

“We’ve just got to be a little bit stronger and a little bit tougher around our middle.”

Castleford, meanwhile, are appealing for help from volunteers to clear snow from the pitch this morning and tomorrow morning in a bid to stave off the threat of a postponement.