THE Bulls are pondering over whether to go shopping for another half-back.

John Kear is light in the pivot department after Rowan Milnes broke his leg in last week’s Challenge Cup loss against Halifax.

The teenager will be out of action for the next couple of months which has left the Bulls coach with a potential headache in such a key area of the team.

Joe Keyes is lined up to make his comeback in the reserves against Keighley next week.

But there is no other senior support for Jordan Lilley since Dane Chisholm was allowed to leave for Featherstone earlier in the season.

Hooker Matty Wildie has been filling in the role and utility man Elliot Minchella has also played there.

Kear will decide on which of them will partner Lilley tomorrow against Batley as the Bulls look to get back on track in the Championship after three losses on the bounce.

But he is also mulling over the prospect of going back into the market to look for more back-up.

The Bulls coach had originally talked about holding off to keep faith in the youthful axis of Lilley and Milnes.

“That’s been taken away from me now,” he admitted.

“We’ll see how Joe goes on next week. Obviously we might have to play Matty (Wildie) or Elliot Minchella there in the halves with Jordan (Lilley) this coming Sunday.

“We haven’t decided yet. But once we’re over that, we’ll see what next Wednesday brings and take it from there.”

Kear hopes that a free midweek will ease tired minds and bodies after the heartache from their Challenge Cup quarter-final exit.

He believes the decision to change the entire line-up for the 1895 Cup trip to Barrow was the right one.

A youngest-ever Bulls team, with an average age of 20 years and six months, were soundly beaten 50-6 in Cumbria.

But Kear added: “Their attitude, effort and application was fantastic.

“We’ve got some good young players and they will only get better. We feel pretty excited about what’s round the corner.

“The first team is a young team and Wednesday was even younger. You could say it was an under-21 team at certain times.

“There was one time when there was just Colton Roche out there who was older than 21.

“I thought Pickersgill, Roche, Magrin, Doyle and Bustin really led from the front.

“I felt totally justified. We couldn’t come up to Barrow with a similar team to what played on Sunday after the investment energy-wise that we’d put in, if we were to have any chance against Batley.

“Hopefully our players who will be featuring will be refreshed and ready to go into the battle.”