JAY Pitts accepts the Bulls must start putting 80-minute performances together ahead of Sunday’s trip to Doncaster.

The back-rower said there were positives to take from the 50-30 Challenge Cup defeat to Hull KR as Jimmy Lowes’ men led 30-28 with less than 20 minutes remaining.

But he acknowledged that their failure to see out the match was something they must seek to put right.

Pitts said: “You’ve got to look at how many tries they scored and, while they might have had a bit of luck with some of them, we have to be better defensively.

“I don’t know whether we were naive but we didn’t stick to our processes enough.

“Our first three plays were a big part of what we were trying to do but when Hull KR controlled them they got a really quick roll-on.

“Albert Kelly and Terry Campese are quality half-backs but I think we gave them too much time on the ball, especially when they were setting their kicks.

“I think we needed to put more pressure on them and be a bit more aggressive.

“When we controlled them, we looked comfortable and that’s probably the difference at the moment – doing it for 80 minutes rather than 30 minutes at a time.

“It’s unrealistic to think that everything will be perfect for 80 minutes because things do happen, but it’s the backing up after the errors that we need to be better at. There were a few unforced errors that we need to cut out.”

The Bulls’ nine-match winning run ended against Hull KR and focus now turns to this weekend’s trip to Doncaster, who lie bottom of the Championship after nine straight defeats.

Pitts, who has been one of the Bulls' most consistent performers this season, played for Doncaster on dual registration during his time at Hull FC.

He added: “It’s a different challenge for us this week and we need to get back on the horse.

“Everything might be going against Doncaster but they’re a team who can definitely play.

“I played there on dual-reg there last year and they’re a tight-knit group who can be a difficult team to break down.

“We’ve definitely got to be on our game and we’re building towards those Super Eights. I can guarantee we will be ready for them when they come around.”