LEE Gaskell believes the Bulls will raise their game against top-flight opposition in the promotion-deciding Super 8s.

The former St Helens star has been sidelined since Doncaster prop Matt Groat broke his jaw during a game at Odsal on June 7.

That forced Gaskell to miss the remaining eight games of the regular season but he will soon be back in a Bradford jersey.

The Bulls playmaker is looking ahead to the end-of-season lottery with confidence as Jimmy Lowes’ side seek to clinch an immediate return to Super League.

Gaskell said: “No disrespect to a few teams in the Championship, but Super League is the standard you want to get up to.

“At the back end of last season we were really up for playing against the likes of Leeds and Wigan and I think it showed because we beat them.

“It’s difficult in terms of your mentality at times in getting up for certain games in this league, but the Super 8s are here now and our main focus is getting Bradford back into Super League.

“We’ve never taken any team for granted this year or been disrespectful to them.

“But in the big games, you always take your game to the next level and that’s what we’re looking forward to doing.”

Bradford went toe to toe with Hull KR for an hour in the Challenge Cup fifth round in April before the Super League side ran in four late tries to seal a 50-30 win.

“That was disappointing because I thought we had done enough to win that game,” said Gaskell.

“The last 20 minutes went their way but it wasn’t a fair reflection of the scoreline.

“We’re going to have to make sure we put in 80-minute performances and not just for an hour if we’re going to beat teams in the Super 8s.”

The Bulls will face Widnes, Salford, Sheffield and Halifax at Odsal with away trips to Hull KR, Leigh and Wakefield.

The dates of all the fixtures will be announced tomorrow and Gaskell is confident his team can secure a return to the promised land.

Gaskell declared: “We’ve got a massive chance because we can beat anyone when you look at the bottom four in Super League.

“We certainly respect everyone but I think every team in that middle eight is beatable.

“We’ve just got to believe in ourselves and be confident, but we’ve had a good season when you look at the amount of points we’ve scored.

“We’ve got a good coach in Jimmy and there is no doubt that if we stick to the game-plan then we can beat anyone.

“I look around the changing room and see a lot of experienced players and then younger, up and coming lads such as Adam O’Brien and Alex Mellor.

“There is a good mix and the boys are really digging in for each other.”

Gaskell is back in full training but was not risked in the final games of the regular season.

He explained: “I’ve started full contact training but there was no point in risking being sidelined for another eight weeks.

“The Super 8s are just around the corner now and I’m looking forward to getting back out there.”