FORGET reputation – character is what matters

It interesting to see the competition tables taking shape around the Championship as we approach the end of March.

Our dual registration partner the Toronto Wolfpack continues to make big strides as they sneak inside the top four after round six, behind London Broncos, Toulouse and Featherstone.

The Wolfpack are clearly pushing hard and are active in the player market as they seek to strengthen their squad.

Continuous recruitment activity is essential in every club, and it’s one thing the Bulls coaching and recruitment staff are constantly looking at.

This last week has seen the addition of Jordan Andrade, Danny King, Harvey Burnett and Jake Butler-Fleming to the playing roster.

One thing is certain, as I have got to know our coach, he clearly wants our club playing a winning style of football, but that means being respectful to the opposition, being disciplined in our approach, and applying a ruthless attitude towards success.

The players will get their opportunity to shine, but the pressure is on every player to perform – from one to 17, and to perform consistently.

The competition for positions now has reached another level. And with that you get a level of expectation and intensity that becomes infectious. The challenge becomes not only competition with players vying for your spot, but competition with yourself to be the best you can be.

Players train harder, they compete harder and everyone expects improvement. It’s about helping the players and inspiring each other to reach their potential individually and as a team. You can feel the buzz of enthusiasm and anticipation all over the club. In this new Bulls world reputation means nothing – what matters is character.

Competition was the major ingredient missing from last year. I can confidently say that the quality and abilities of this playing group are dramatically greater than the previous year. That’s not being disrespectful to last year’s squad, that’s acknowledging the efforts of John Kear and the coaching team.

As everyone close to this group has said, we will continue to improve and get better as the season rolls on. Continuous improvement is a key goal.

For Bradford, the hybrid full-time/part-time player model has worked very successfully, and don’t be surprised to see other clubs take a leaf out of the Bradford book and implement similar set-ups.

The reality is that players don’t train any less, or are any less committed to the club. What it enables everyone to do, is find the balance between rugby league, professional careers and other interests like education.

It’s important to find a balance in life, as we all know this helps keep you grounded and gives you focus.

It helps breed the right culture which is something the club as a whole is working hard on.

It was no surprise to me, when our fourth round Challenge Cup tie was cancelled due to the dangerous weather conditions at South Leeds Stadium last week.

We were one of four games postponed and jumbled into the fixture backlog.

As always the officials take into account the safety of both players and fans to reach a decision.

The timetable pressures become such that the reorganised fixture is now scheduled for Easter Monday, making Easter a double header of action, with Oldham scheduled for Good Friday at home.

This leaves the way clear to play Hunslet in our round four league game tomorrow at Odsal Stadium.

For the legion of Bulls supporters, it’s been a very long break between home league competition games.

In fact you have to look back to September 17 last year when we defeated Rochdale by 60 points.

It will be a whopping 189 days between drinks for players and fans. I feel a real sense of anticipation from the players and coaching staff alike as we look to continue our strong unbeaten start to the season.

Definitely no snow tomorrow. Just expect the roar of the Bulls faithful.

We expect a large turnout from our fans supporting our first home game for 2018 as we continue our journey towards redemption.

Come, support the team and join the Stampede.