Swinton Lions club captain Paul Southern will sit out the Northern Rail Cup group games.

Football director Paul Kidd says a fully fit Southern is needed for the start of the Championship campaign and will not be risked in the Cup as a result.

Southern is recovering from an operation on his leg. Swinton face Batley this weekend who are coached by ex-Salford boss Karl Harrison.

Kidd said: "Batley will be tough opponents. Karl is doing a very good job with the Bulldogs.

"I rate him highly. I spent a lot of time with him when he was in charge of Salford and learned a great deal from him.

"He’s a very good technical coach and he’s proved he can get the best out of a team who are not in Super League.

"We’ll have to be at our best because Batley are formidable opponents."