CAPTAIN Lee Smith praised the hard work of the Bradford forward pack, as they carried the Bulls to a convincing 50-12 victory over North Wales Crusaders.

Matt Garside and co. led the Bulls to a dominant display, the only blemish being a second-half spell which saw the Welsh side cross twice in as many minutes.

The game also saw the return of long-term absentee Joe Keyes, who Smith believes can help bring the experience and concentration needed ahead of the Bulls' promotion push.

“I thought we put in a really good performance at the weekend. If someone had given us that score-line ahead of the game, I would have jumped at it, they are a quality side,” said Smith.

“It’s the old saying, 'the forwards do the hard yards and the backs finish off tries', that summed the game up well. Matt was a deserved man of the match but every one of the forwards was brilliant.

“They didn’t let up throughout the game, the second half spell showed that. Managing to halt that momentum and kick on again was vital in the late stages.”

Smith admitted there was work still to be done though, saying: “One area we can improve is our concentration. It’s hard when the game's won to have that ruthless nature to go and turn the screw, but that is something we’re working towards.

“Overall there are numerous positives coming out of that game, not simply the score-line. It shows we’re heading into some good form and momentum at the right time.

“Getting Joe Keyes back into the side was another real positive. If he can reach the level he was playing at before the injury, then that’s a huge bonus.”

Despite last weekend’s game being the Bulls' first home match for a month, they find themselves with the daunting trip up to Cumbria to face Whitehaven tomorrow.

It is a task Smith is not taking lightly, as Whitehaven have established themselves in the chasing pack of this year’s competition.

Smith has also rallied around the club, who announced a financial shortfall in recent weeks, to make a hit of their cheap match-day tickets and create a big atmosphere.

“First of all, it’s never good to see a club in financial trouble, so I’m hoping it gets sorted sooner rather than later. I’m sure our supporters will snap up the cheaper ticket prices and make some noise,” said Smith.

“On the pitch, Cumbria is always a tough place to go, as seen by the Workington game. We’ll be expecting a real battle, as it’s up there as one of the toughest trips of the year.

“We’ll prepare the way we always do to give ourselves the best chance. After this week we’ve played everyone once, so it’s a good marker for the rest of the year.”