Carl Forster will be included in the Whitehaven squad for Sunday’s game against North Wales Crusaders.

Forster, returning to his old club in a playing role, trained with the rest of the team on Wednesday.

Coach Gary Charlton, who knows the qualities of the 26-year-old prop, said: “He trained really well and is looking forward to getting back to playing again.

“He only played four or five times for Rochdale but I don’t think the absences will have done him any harm, considering the knocks he’s taken over the last two years.

“It’s encouraging that we have 22 players to pick from this Sunday and that’s the kind of headache coaches don’t mind each week.

“We only have Dave Thompson [suspension] and Ethan Kelly [broken arm] unavailable for the game at Wrexham.

“Dave’s is a one match suspension from the Oldham cup tie while Ethan is about two weeks away from a return after having his plaster cast removed.

“There were one or two with knocks who didn’t play against Oldham and have had an extra week since to get themselves back to full fitness.”

Charlton and his assistants Jonty Gorley and Scott McAvoy have been raising the intensity during training and are well aware of the dangers that North Wales will pose.

“The are very quick around the ruck area with a good hoooker in Karl Ashall so we have done a lot of our work this week on defence,” said Charlton.

Whitehaven go into the week-end top of the League from London Skolars on points differential (a 74 points swing) and seven ahead of North Wales who have only won two of their seven games so far.

Skolars are actually first into action when they host Doncaster on Saturday afternoon.

Doncaster, currently lying sixth in the table, have just announced they have signed Rangi Chase, the former Super League star who is currently banned for using cocaine.

He will be free to play for the Dons from July 14 when his ban ends - and that just happens to be the day that Whitehaven are due to play them in a League One game which is to be played at Featherstone as the Keepmoat Stadium is not available.