Last updated at 10:58, Sunday, 10 February 2013

RAIDERS boss Darren Holt will be forced into making at least one change for tomorrow’s opening home game of the season against Doncaster.

Winger Lee Haney is out of contention after undergoing surgery with the knee injury he picked up in the 42-12 defeat to Hunslet last week – with Chris Larkin set to come in as a replacement.

Former Barrow Island amateur Tom Brannon is on his way back from a hamstring injury and has yet to make his competitive debut for Barrow, while Mike Backhouse was the other option for the vacant spot.

Larkin has been used predominantly as a centre in recent seasons, but has pedigree on the wing as well.

Another option, James Nixon, is still away from the club considering his future.

Haney had been due to undergo a scan yesterday, but instead surgeons brought forward the operation.

The 25-year-old said on Twitter: “Came to the hospital this morning just expecting to see a consultant and end up getting booked in to get my knee operated on today!”

Holt would not confirm the selection of Larkin in Haney’s place, but he is expected to partner centre Max Wiper on the right.

Forwards Jamie Butler, Ruairi McGoff and Jack Spencer are all close to being ready for action, but are not expected to feature against the Dons tomorrow.

It will be the fifth time the sides have played each other in 12 months – the last being the Championship One Grand Final – and Holt is ready for Tony Miller’s men.

He said: “We played them a lot last year, so we know a lot about each other. The team will largely be picked off what we think is the best way we can go.”

“I’ve looked at some of the games. When we played them down at their place in the league, I think they deserved that victory, but every other game we played against them, I thought we were marginally the better side – even when they beat us in the Grand Final.“We know each other very well and I’m sure Tony Miller is saying the same about us.”

Raiders (from): McGilvray, Clay, Low, Wiper, Backhouse, Casey, Campbell, Brennan, Dandy, Haggarty, Harrison, Haggerty, Toal, Finch, Dawson, Jones, Whitehead, Larkin, Brannon.

First published at 16:41, Friday, 08 February 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk