Titans check rumours of Carney return home

The Gold Coast Titans, the new club in Australia's NRL next season, are checking reports that the Great Britain winger Brian Carney wants to be released from his contract with them to return to England.

Carney has been playing for the Newcastle Knights while waiting to take up his deal with the Titans, but rumours have suggested he is homesick. "There are rumours going around and I want to ring Brian about them," said the Titans' coach, John Cartwright. "As far as I'm concerned, he's coming here." Any change of plan would be of great interest to British clubs.

Wigan should put further distance between themselves and relegation tonight, when they play a Huddersfield side concerned with fitness issues for the Challenge Cup final and missing Chris Thorman, Paul Reilly and Brad Drew. If Wakefield are to maintain their own momentum in the fight against relegation they must inflict a sixth successive defeat on Leeds - something that has not happened since 1958. The Rhinos are without Danny McGuire, but Willie Poching is due to return.

Bradford have their first chance tonight to recoup the two points deducted for breaching last season's salary cap. The Bulls will be without Terry Newton with an ankle injury against Castleford, who have Danny Brough and Peter Lupton available again.

The Tigers' Australian utility player, Deon Bird, is to return home at the end of the season. "I was offered a deal for next season, but I felt that the time was right for me to return home," Bird said.