Two players taking their combined total of appearances to exactly 700 will go head to head in tomorrow’s Stobart Super League match of the round at the Galpharm Stadium.

Warrington Wolves captain Adrian Morley, who began his career 18 years ago, will play his 400th club match against Huddersfield Giants, for whom long-serving front rower Eorl Crabtree will be making his 300th career appearance.

Crabtree has some way to go to catch up to the 34-year-old Morley, who has won every domestic trophy in a stellar career with Leeds Rhinos, Sydney Roosters, Bradford Bulls and Warrington, but Huddersfield coach Nathan Brown believes his best years could be in front of him.

“It’s a great achievement to play the amount of games Eorl has played in the front row and the fact that he is still pretty young means he will add a lot more games to the tally,” Brown said.

“He lives a good lifestyle and works hard he is definitely a good role model for the club and for young players.”

The 29-year-old Crabtree, whose match tally includes 15 appearances for England, has been one of the stand-out performers in the Giants’ impressive start to the season, having played for over an hour in each of their wins over Wigan Warriors and Widnes Vikings.

With four props sidelined by injury or suspension, Crabtree has been forced to shoulder more responsibility and has spent more time on the field as a direct result of the decrease in the number of permitted substitutions from 12 to 10.

“I think it’s a fantastic new rule,” Crabtree said. “It’s great for the game.

“It’s definitely something I was thinking about because I knew I wouldn’t be able to be used in three or four stints, which has happened in the past. I knew I would be playing extra minutes.

“Teams will have to be a bit smarter about how they use the props and the rest of the substitutions and I think a few have struggled.

“I’ve seen a couple of games where they’ve got no subs left for the last 10 minutes and that can be the most important of the game.

“It’s something we have to get our heads around. If I don’t need to be subbed, then it’s all the better for myself and the team.”

The 6ft 7in Crabtree, nephew of the late Big Daddy (alias wrestler Shirley Crabtree), has shed the pounds in readiness for his longer stints and says he has never felt better.

“I had an operation on my bicep in the close season and couldn’t do any weights so I did quite a lot of running,” he said.

“I also changed my diet and it’s just stripped me. I dropped about 6kg which has made such a difference.

“I feel a lot fitter and quicker and it’s making the game for me personally a lot easier.

“I want to be known more of a starting prop than an impact player. I’m 29 now but I feel as fresh as a daisy.”

While the winners at the Galpharm Stadium will top the table, Catalan Dragons will also aim to maintain their unbeaten record when they entertain Castleford Tigers.

The Dragons have brought forward tomorrow’s kick-off to 3.30pm to avoid a repeat of the farcical scenes last Saturday when their evening match against Hull FC was postponed due to a frozen pitch.

The Catalans welcome back skipper Gregory Mounis and last year’s leading tryscorer Damien Blanch and give Leon Pryce his home debut.

The Dragons began the season without a specialist winger, with Blanch undergoing wrist surgery and Frederic Vaccari and Cyril Stacul picking up injuries in a trial game, and coach Trent Robinson is excited at the prospect of Blanch picking up from where he left off in 2011.

Blanch, who began his Super League career with Castleford, scored 20 tries in 28 appearances but can do even better this year, according to Robinson.

“The boys did a good job but it’s nice to have a specialist winger back,” he said. “Damien went well last year but I’m hoping he will improve. We want better from him.”