Bradford Bulls named a 21-man squad for Friday night’s Bulls Vs York Knights clash at Odsal, with Ryan Sutton, Joe Mellor, Ethan Ryan, Guy Armitage and Ebon Scurr all back in the frame after time out. York Knights also made changes for the trip, but Paul McShane dropped out after an injury blow.

Mellor’s return was the clearest sign of Bradford’s improving numbers. He had been back in training and was included as the Bulls prepared to face a York side that remains injury-plagued, even with Paul Vaughan, Liam Harris and Jordan Thompson returning and Harvey Reynolds added on loan. Bradford, who had won four of their six matches at Odsal so far this season, were looking to use home form to sharpen the edge of a game between two promoted sides.

The contrast between the squads matters because both clubs are trying to keep momentum while patching holes. Bradford’s five returnees give them more options before kickoff, but the real question is which of them can be pushed straight into the starting side. York, meanwhile, must cope without McShane and Will Roberts after a week in which the injuries never quite stopped piling up.

The rest of the league picture also adds weight to the night. Super League returned that week with three Friday fixtures, and selection calls elsewhere were changing almost as quickly as they were made: Jack Brown was named in Castleford Tigers’ 21-man squad a day after signing from Hull KR, Semi Valemei missed out through a three-match ban, and Leigh Leopards and Warrington Wolves were among the other clubs juggling absentees and returns. But at Odsal, the focus was narrower and more immediate. Bradford had named enough reinforcements to make the contest look different, and York arrived with enough recovery work left to make the final lineups the real story.

By the time the teams run out on Friday night, the squad lists will already have told one story. The next one is whether Bradford’s returns can turn Odsal into the kind of ground where promoted sides start looking like they belong.