Steve McNamara has had to break new ground in preparations for the Bulls’ first-ever game with Celtic Crusaders – by getting out the mugshots.

The Odsal coach says the main task so far has been introducing his players to their likely opponents on Sunday.

“It is like playing strangers in some regards,” he said, ahead of the Super League match-up. “We’re not familiar with them at all.

“Apart from Magic Weekend, Celtic had not been on TV since round one so they’re a little bit alien to us.

“We’ve spent a fair bit of this week making sure our players are familiar with their faces and the names that go with them.

“It’s a different proposition for us but we’re looking forward to taking them on.”

Welsh outfit Celtic, who consist mainly of lesser-known Australian imports, have yet to taste their first Super League victory since winning a licence for 2009-11.

But McNamara believes that is mainly down to their ill-fated build-up to their debut campaign.

“People forget they never had a pre-season – at all,” he said.

“By the time all their visas came through, the players all got together only four days before the first game.

“A lot of the work they would have liked to have been covered hasn’t been yet.

“They’ve not been completely whitewashed and have been competitive for spells in games. It’s only a matter of time before they put it together but we certainly aren’t aiming for that to be against us.”