Bulls young gun prop Stuart Fielden could be in the running as a shock Great Britain selection for the end of season Tri-Series Down Under.
The 19-year-old has made rapid strides since being handed his debut last June and caught the eye of national coach Andy Goodway enough to be named in the World Nines squad scheduled for the start of the year in South Africa before the competition was scrapped due to financial problems.
But week in week out he is out performing some of the established front-row figures and underlined his improvement with a stunning 40-metre try in Friday night's impressive 20-2 Super League win over neighbours Halifax Blue Sox.
A continuation of that form seems certain to put Fielden, who has also represented Great Britain at Academy level, in the frame for the autumn clash with Australia and New Zealand and next year's World Cup in Britain.
Bulls coach Matthew Elliott is delighted with his progress and says: "Good young props are hard to come by because it is a job you mature into. But physically for a 19-year-old he is one of the most mature kids I have ever seen.
"Added to that is his desire to improve all the time and he drives me mad with it. He has always been able to produce the sort of eye-catching run he did against Halifax but it is his development in other areas which is really pleasing from my perspective."
Meanwhile Elliott has given his men three days off before they turn their thoughts to another rousing West Yorkshire derby with Castleford at Wheldon Road on Bank Holiday Monday (12 noon kick-off). Discount junior tickets for the game costing £2.50 are available at Odsal from 9.30am tomorrow.
The match is given added significance following the Tigers shock 24-8 win at champions Wigan yesterday which saw Stuart Raper's men move into third-place behind the Bulls.
Elliott will be anxious to check on the fitness of Henry Paul when he arrives back in the country in midweek after an injury scare during Friday's Anzac Test between the Kiwis and the Aussies in Sydney.
Paul lay motionless for some time after landing on his head following a tackle but eventually got to his feet and the damage was later diagnosed as a trapped nerve in his neck.
Other injury concerns are centres Danny Peacock, who limped out of Friday's game with groin trouble, and Scott Naylor who missed the match with a rib injury.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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