Referee Steve Ganson's return stirs unhappy memories for Bradford

Steve Ganson will return to centre stage at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday to referee the Leeds-Bradford game – an appointment that will stir unpleasant memories for the Bulls of Super League's first weekend in Cardiff. Ganson missed the last two months of last season after being arrested on suspicion of assault outside a wedding reception the night before he was due to be the video official for the Challenge Cup semi‑final between Warrington and Catalans Dragons. He was released from bail without charge in November and resumed his position in the Rugby Football League's squad of full-time officials. His appointment for the Leeds-Bradford game in Cardiff ensures him of anything but a low-profile return, although that will not worry the garrulous 40-year-old from St Helens in the slightest. He was the central figure in the most controversial and memorable incident of any of the four previous magic weekends when the concept was introduced in 2007, and the six-match programme was completed by a stormy Yorkshire derby. Bradford were narrowly ahead when Ganson awarded Leeds a last-gasp penalty on the advice of his video assistant. Kevin Sinfield's attempt at an equalising goal rebounded off the bar to allow Jordan Tansey to score a match-winning try which was allowed to stand even though he had clearly been in an offside position. Bradford officials were apoplectic at the time but have maintained a diplomatic silence regarding Ganson's appointment this weekend. Tansey has also been in the news this week, having been sacked by Hull for persistently breaching the club's disciplinary code. They have signed Cameron Phelps, an Australian who spent the past two seasons with Wigan, as a replacement, although he will not arrive in time for their Cardiff derby against Hull KR on Sunday. Tansey now faces an uncertain future. Even Wakefield Trinity, who have probably the thinnest squad in the Super League and whose coach, John Kear, has an impressive record of putting previously errant players back on the straight and narrow, have ruled out an immediate approach. "We've got a terrific team spirit and work ethic at the club and I don't want to do anything that could undermine that," Kear said. Trinity are in limbo anyway having applied to enter administration last week, with negotiations thought to be nearing completion for the businessman Steve Parkin to buy the club on Friday – 24 hours before they face Castleford in Cardiff. They would then almost certainly begin the season with a six-point deduction. Hull have been rebuffed in an approach to the administrators to sign Sam Obst, a long-serving Australian scrum-half but Kear is unlikely to prevent the Fijian centre Daryl Millard taking up a long-term contract offer from the Catalans Dragons, especially as that will clear a place on Wakefield's overseas quota allowing him to sign the former Canterbury prop Jarrad Hickey.