Whitehaven will face a Bradford debutant when they take-on the Bulls at Odsal this Sunday.

Bradford have been searching all over for a class half-back and reckon they finally have one in the shape of 26-year-old Australian Dane Chisholm.

He had a remarkable impact at Hull KR last season. In seven games for the Robins he was outstanding, scoring three tries and helping them to a 100 per cent record to finish top of the middle eights.

He has signed for the Bulls until the end of 2017 after securing a release from the Canterbury Bulldogs.

It’s a last throw of the dice from the Bradford club in their efforts to secure a place in the top four as for a club of their size, history and resources, failure to make the middle eights would be nothing short of disastrous.

Not only from a financial point of view, where the difference in finishing top and fifth amounts to £500,000, but for the club’s integrity as a sporting institution.

There would be a lot of red faces if the former Super League club cannot even make the top four in a largely part-time league.

As they did last week, Whitehaven will be taking on a side with top four ambitions. They lost out 16-8 at home to Batley on Saturday as the Bulldogs threaten to oust the Bulls from the top four.

Currently outside looking in Bradford will have targeted the next two games – at home to Whitehaven and Oldham as ones they should win to put the pressure on Batley and Halifax.

Whitehaven will early start as underdogs against the Bulls but it’s results in the subsequent games against Workington Town and Sheffield which are likely to have more influence on their Championship survival hopes.

Whitehaven have a number of injury issues to consider ahead of the trip to Yorkshire, and will want to have as full a squad as possible for the two games to follow against Town and the Eagles.