England confirm 10 players in train-on squad ahead of Four Nations
Wednesday 5 October 2016 22:09, UK
England coach Wayne Bennett has announced the first batch of players for his train-on squad ahead of the Four Nations.
Ten players have been chosen to begin preparations for the international against France in Avignon on Saturday, October 22 and the Ladbrokes Four Nations Series, which begins the following weekend.
The initial group includes only UK-based players involved in games up to round seven of the Super 8s, with the bulk of the squad set to come from the four semi-finalists - Wigan, Warrington, St Helens and Hull - and NRL clubs.
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All 10 players were among the 31-strong group chosen for a get-together under Bennett in June during the veteran Australian's whistle-stop to the UK.
Six of the first batch are from Leeds, including transfer-listed full-back Zak Hardaker, who finished the season on loan to NRL club Penrith, and uncapped second rower Stevie Ward, who played in his club's last four matches of the season after making his comeback from a knee reconstruction.
They began training on Monday under the supervision of new England assistant coach Paul Anderson and performance staff .
The full 24-man squad will be announced next Monday.
England's train-on squad: Luke Gale (Castleford), Jermaine McGillvary, Leroy Cudjoe (both Huddersfield), Kallum Watkins, Ryan Hall, Brett Ferres, Stevie Ward, Tom Briscoe, Zak Hardaker (all Leeds), Kevin Brown (Widnes).
