GEORGE Flanagan is pressing for his Bulls return as John Kear aims to freshen things up at Featherstone this weekend.

The hooker has missed the last six games after breaking a thumb in the dramatic Challenge Cup win over the same opponents.

But he has trained fully with the squad this week and the Bulls are monitoring his progress before naming their 19-man line-up.

Flanagan has been a frustrated spectator during the club’s trio of televised outings and Kear is keen to unleash him back into the fray.

The Bulls coach said: “I certainly think he will add a bit of energy and enthusiasm. That might be one reason why we are keen to get him back on the field.

“George’s personality is effervescent and you need that. We’ll certainly benefit from that at the minute.

“He has trained fine but we have to see if there has been any reaction from that.”

Kear admitted he got it wrong at the Summer Bash by making only one change from the squad that had shocked Leeds in the Challenge Cup.

Having felt they suffered a “hangover” against Halifax at Blackpool, he is ready to shuffle his options for Post Office Road.

“We’ve looked at minutes played, appearances made and also had a look at how many metres players have been covering,” he added.

“There may well be a resting and rotation of certain individuals this week.

“It’s a long time since we’ve had the luxury of an eight-day turnaround.

“It’s allowed us to draw breath, reflect and prepare. There’s been a lot of clarity and purpose in what we’ve been doing.

“The training session we did on Tuesday night was absolutely first class. It was very specific to Featherstone and just went like clockwork.

“I think the players have enjoyed that recovery time and they are back with a new focus and energy.”