Crusaders v Quins: Teams

Crusaders will be without Vince Mellars for Friday night's engage Super League clash with Harlequins RL at the Gnoll.

The Kiwi centre missed last Sunday's 60-16 demolition of Salford City Reds with a shoulder injury and has not been included in head coach Brian Noble's 19-man squad to face Quins in Neath.

Back-rower Jason Chan is expected to fill in for Mellars at centre once again following an impressive display against the Reds last weekend.

Mellars place in the squad is taken by full-back Elliot Kear, who was also named in Iestyn Harris' Wales Squad for this autumn's European Championships.

Gareth Thomas was also named in the Wales squad and is now back in training for Crusaders but is not yet ready for a return to first team action following a groin problem.

Noble will go head-to-head with one of his former players in the shape of Harlequins boss Brian McDermott on Friday.

Determined

Noble coached McDermott during his tenure at Bradford Bulls and admits he is a big fan of what the Quins chief is trying to achieve in the English capital.

"I think the key to our success this year has been that we have taken each game as it comes," he said.

"This week is no different; we're playing a team who were a little bit embarrassed by their home performance against Hull last week. I know their coach very well, he's a very determined coach and we'll have to be at our best to beat a very determined team on Friday.

"We're playing well at the moment, our form is good. We need to recognise and prepare for what is in front of us. Harlequins pose a threat. We didn't focus on a lot of those things last time against them.

"We came off the back of a great result against Leeds so maybe our attitude was a bit cocky. We got our just desserts, we got a thumping and I thought it was one of our worst performances of the season."

Quins have made just one change from the side which crashed to a 42-18 home defeat to Hull FC last Saturday.

McDermott has added Lamont Bryan to the squad in place of Dave Williams.

Quins, who have won just six of their 23 matches so far, currently prop up the Super League table on points difference.

Crusaders squad: Youngquest, Martin, Sammut, O'Hara, Withers, Bryant, Hauraki, Chan, Trimarchi, Dyer, Lee, Winterstein, Peek, Thakray, James, Kear, Lupton, Schifcofske, Hanbury.

Harlequins RL squad: Bolger, Clubb, Dorn, Ellis, Gale, Golden, Howell, Jones-Bishop, Krasniqi, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Melling, Mills, O'Callaghan, Orr, Purdham, Sharp, Ward, Wilkes, Bryan.