Championship Preview: Whitehaven v Halifax

Whitehaven coach Dave Woods will check the fitness of two players who suffered ‘minor knocks’ against Barrow Raiders before finalising his team.

Woods said: “We were good for 60 minutes last week. The big thing for our blokes is about them learning to have patience and not think they have to score all the time. At this level it’s about building pressure.”

He added: “Playing at home makes it a tough trip for Halifax, and we’ve got to try to really take advantage of playing in front of our crowd on what will probably be a heavy pitch.”

Halifax’s Andy Bracek has an outside chance of playing on Sunday, although he is more likely to return over the Easter weekend.

Luke Adamson is also in contention, while coach Karl Harrison reported no new injuries from last week’s win over Hunslet Hawks.

Harrison said: “We were pretty efficient and very clinical, which was pleasing.”

He added: “Whitehaven are going really well. They’re a different team in Cumbria and it’s going to be a difficult trip. They’ve got some seasoned players, and some who’ve come from Super League, and they know how to lift.”