Round-up: Calderwood nears Wigan return

Wigan’s international winger, Mark Calderwood, is nearing his comeback from a broken ankle. Calderwood has not played for four months, but has been included in the squad for the reserve side’s first game of the season, at Hull on Saturday.

If he comes safely through that, he could be a candidate for Wigan’s Super League match against Bradford a week later.

Hull have their captain, Lee Radford, back for the match against Wigan after recovering from a broken thumb. They still have six regulars missing from a squad which has not won so far this season.

The fluctuating saga of Paul Sculthorpe’s fitness has taken an apparent turn for the better with his inclusion in the St Helens squad to face Bradford on Friday night.

Sculthorpe has not played since tearing his Achilles tendon last season and his coach, Daniel Anderson, admitted last week to concern about his rate of recovery.

But now he has moved him closer to the action, although it is doubtful whether he will use him at Odsal.

“He’s up to 90 per cent and we won’t know more until he’s been in some team sessions,” Anderson said.

Definitely out against the Bulls is Chris Flannery, who has torn a quad muscle and will be missing for the next three or four weeks.

Leeds’ winger, Ryan Hall, has been cleared of a suspected fracture of the cheekbone. He is suffering from nothing worse than a black eye and has been included in the squad to face the Catalan Dragons on Friday – the Rhinos’ last game before the World Club Challenge against the Melbourne Storm, who flew in to Britain yesterday.

Also back in contention is the prop forward, Kylie Leuluai, after a bout of flu.

Australia’s most controversial player, Willie Mason, has begun his career with a new club, the Sydney Roosters, with a new misadventure.

Mason, who has joined the Roosters after an acrimonious departure from the Canterbury Bulldogs, and a team-mate and fellow international, Anthony Tupou, have been fined for urinating in public on a club trip to Port Macquarie.