THE Bulls may persist with Jordan Lilley at hooker for another week.

Lilley switched from the halves to number nine in the friendly at Dewsbury to assist Thomas Doyle.

With Sam Hallas recovering from a twisted ankle and George Flanagan suspended, the 20-year-old is currently the only senior hooker available.

Hallas could be back for Sunday’s final friendly against York, although John Kear may play it safe and give the vice-captain an extra week to be right for the season opener with London.

That could mean another outing in the role for playmaker Lilley against the Knights.

Kear said: “I don’t think Tom’s ready to play a full 80 minutes yet, so we’ve got to find a way to manufacture another hooker.

“That was a solution and I don’t think Jordan played that badly at nine.

“But because we moved him, we lost a lot of organisation further out in our shape and structure.

“Sam should be ready for this week but I don’t know whether we risk him.”

Flanagan’s marathon suspension from the end of last season means he is still barred from featuring until Featherstone come to the Tetley’s Stadium in round three on February 16.

Kear will be demanding a vast improvement from his side from their final warm-up after being heavily critical of the performance against Dewsbury.

The scrappy contest was a contrast with their friendlies at Castleford and Leeds but the coach insists his players must get used to that.

“It was a slow game on a very heavy pitch. That’s no fault of anybody’s but just the weather that we’ve had.

“It was stop-start and slow but we’ve got to learn to play that. It’s what will happen when we come to the bread and butter of the week-to-week of the Championship.

“It will probably be like that until Easter.”