Last year he found out on Teletext and this year it has just been a dressing room rumour, but Paul Deacon is once again in the Lancashire team.

The Bulls scrum-half, playing in a scrum-cap in recent weeks despite the hot weather, will once again link up with his Wigan, Warrington and St Helens pals to take on Yorkshire and five of his Bradford team-mates.

Deacon, who kicked six goals in the second of last year's Origin games, will play alongside debutant Mike Forshaw in Paul Cullen's red rose squad - and is looking forward to being a visitor to his home ground.

"I like things like that," said Deacon, who will team up with the very St Helens players he is hoping to help beat this Friday.

"But I am going to try and prepare for it like I would a normal game, although of course it is an honour to picked to play representative football.

"It feels like an away game for me because Odsal is an hour away on the motorway for me.

"Hopefully we can get the win, but there won't be much banter because it is only me in the Lancashire team - but hopefully I will be able to walk around on Thursday with a big smile on my face."

Leon Pryce, one of the five Bulls players in the Yorkshire squad, believes there should be even more of a Bradford presence.

"Of course I am delighted to have been picked for Yorkshire," said Pryce, who starred for Great Britain in last season's series against New Zealand.

"But it is a shame there are not more Bradford lads in the squad. I would have thought there would have been a place for people like Lee Radford and Jimmy Lowes and we will miss Stuart (Fielden) with injury which is a shame for him."

Lancashire start as clear favourites for the one-off clash and will look to add to the three wins they have picked up since the competition was re-started. But the Yorkshire players are still confident.

"We wouldn't be playing if we didn't think we had a chance," added Pryce.

"It is a big honour to play for your county and we will all be looking to do our best. They might be favourites but we have some pretty good players here and will get the support of the crowd."

Yorkshire: Paul Anderson (Bulls), Ryan Bailey (Rhinos), Marc Calderwood (Rhinos), Matt Diskin (Rhinos), Gareth Ellis (Wakefield), Lee Gilmour (Bulls), Lee Harland (Castleford), David Hodgson (Wigan), Richard Horne (Hull FC), Ryan Hudson (Castleford), Andy Lynch (Castleford), Danny Orr (Castleford - Captain), Jamie Peacock (Bulls), Karl Pratt (Bulls), Leon Pryce (Bulls), Keith Senior (Rhinos), Chev Walker (Rhinos).

Lancashire: Brian Carney (Wigan), Gary Connolly (Rhinos), Kieron Cunningham (St Helens), Paul Deacon (Bulls), Andrew Farrell (Wigan - Captain), Mike Forshaw (Bulls), Martin Gleeson (St Helens), Mark Hilton (Warrington), Paul Johnson (Wigan), Sean Long (St Helens), Barrie McDermott (Rhinos), Terry Newton (Wigan), Steve Prescott (Hull FC)> Danny Sculthorpe (Wigan), Paul Sculthorpe (St Helens), Kevin Sinfield (Rhinos), Paul Wellens (St Helens).