Magic Weekend Preview: Bradford Bulls v Huddersfield Giants

Magic Weekend’s third Yorkshire derby is possibly the biggest as Huddersfield Giants face Bradford Bulls in Sunday’s second game. 

Huddersfield beat Widness on Friday to increase their hold on second place in Super League and have lost just one of their last six games.

When the sides last met in March, Bradford were victorious at the John Smith’s Stadium by 43 points to 18, and the Bulls have won all but three of their Yorkshire derbies so far this season

Jamie Foster returns to the Bulls Squad after recovering from a pectoral muscle tear. On-loan Jacob Fairbank is available to play against his parent club but there is no place in the squad for Adam Sidlow, who sits out with a shoulder injury. 

Huddersfield head coach Paul Anderson makes just one change to the squad that won at Widnes last week. Ben Blackmore replaces Matty Dawson, while Joe Wardle serves the second game of a two-match ban.

Bradford Bulls 19-man squad: Donaldson, Foster, Fairbank, Gale, Kear, Scruton, Bateman, L’Estrange, Purtell, Lulia, Whitehead, Diskin, Sammut, Addy, Langley, Walker, Evans, Blythe. 

Huddersfield Giants 19-man squad: Grix, Cudjoe, McGilvary, Brough, Robinson, Crabtree, Lunt, Kopczak, Ferres, Faiumu, Patrick, Chan, Ta’ai, Murphy, Cording, Ferguson, Mullally, Blackmore, Dwyer. 

Prediction: Expect Huddersfield to get revenge for their home defeat to the Bulls – Huddersfield win. 

Magic Weekend summary:

Bradford: Won 1, Lost 5

Huddersfield: Won 3, Lost 3

(No previous Magic Weekend meeting)

Super League summary:

Bradford won 24

Huddersfield won 9

Bradford highest score: 78-18 (H, 2001) (also widest margin)

Huddersfield highest score: 50-16 (H, 2011) (also widest margin)