Bradford Bulls full back Michael Withers, who feared he might be ruled out for the season after a stomach operation, is now hopeful of only missing two months.

The Australian, who is 27 next Friday, had an operation on Wednesday and said: "It seemed to go okay and having feared I might miss the whole of the campaign, I am now hoping to be back in July."

Withers, who has an incredible 90 tries in just 106 appearances for the Odsal club, has played only four of the Bulls' 12 matches during an injury-dogged start to the season, and this was his second bout of surgery in six months.

The former Balmain Tiger missed the start of the season after having an operation on an unrelated problem in his lower stomach during the winter and pulled out of last month's Powergen Challenge Cup final on the eve of the game after suffering a setback.

However, utility back Karl Pratt has recovered from the tooth infection that caused him to miss last Friday's win at Wigan and is recalled to the squad for tomorrow's home game against Castleford Tigers.

The Bulls have named the 17 players who were on duty at Wigan, plus Pratt and Aaron Smith.

Withers isn't the only player who has been in the wars. So has scrum half Paul Deacon, who had four stitches after the game at the JJB Stadium last weekend and another four after clashing heads with Karl Pryce on Tuesday in training.

Deacon reckons Castleford will be much tougher tomorrrow as half-back Mitch Healey has returned to the squad.

The goal-kicking supremo said: "They have some good half-backs and they will be delighted to have Mitch back. He organises things for them and that allows Danny Orr to have a much freer role, which is what he likes best and that is when he is at his most dangerous."

The Bulls beat the Tigers 40-18 at Valley Parade last July, but their last competitive meeting was Castleford's 44-14 thumping of the 2002 World Club champions at The Jungle the following month.

And Deacon has carried the message of that mauling into this season when he said: "There are no easy games this year are there? Cas showed fighting spirit against Hull last Monday, and I am sure they will be looking to take the last quarter of that game into tomorrow. They will be saying 'Let's start this game like we finished the last', so it will be tough for us and that it is a derby will make it even tougher."

However, Deacon, who has kicked 66 goals from 83 attempts for the Bulls this season for an average of 79.51 per cent, added: "We are looking to keep up the pressure at the top of the table and we know if we win this week we will do that. That is what we will be looking for tomorrow."

Several Bulls players are close to personal milestones. Centre Scott Naylor needs just one try for a career total of 100 and 400 points, while evergreen hooker James Lowes needs just six points to reach 400 for the Bulls himself. He has scored 95 tries, kicked six goals and landed two drop goals in his points total of 394, made from 450 first-class appearances, which includes internationals.

Second-row Daniel Gartner needs a try to reach 100 points for the Bulls, and utility back Leon Pryce is still scoring at better than a try a match this campaign, having totalled 13 from 12 games.

Rugby league clubs are set to benefit from a cash injection of £1.75m thanks to a Government funding initiative. The community club development fund, which will be delivered by the Rugby Football

League in partnership with Sport

England, will help clubs improve facilities and is a direct result of the re-unification of the sport which took place earlier this year.