MIDDLE men don't always receive praise – be they brokers in a deal or a level of management below the bosses.

However, Bradford Bulls coach John Kear was only too happy to praise his central stars after his club extended their winning run in Betfred League One to 12 matches – a run that has only been bettered by the 20 that they won in 1997 to start Super League II.

He said after their 36-16 triumph at Hunslet yesterday: "We were really good.

"Hunslet offered us a great challenge, threw the ball about, played some good football and asked us lots of questions.

"But once again our defensive resilience came to the fore and when we got our opportunities we took them, with some 'smarts' from the outside backs and half-backs.

"I am going to single out our forward pack – people like George Flanagan, Sam Hallas, the second rowers Elliot Minchella and Matty Garside and the rotation middles.

"Steve Crossley has played for 70 minutes in weather like this, and for a man that is 110kg to run about in that is a heck of an effort, so the middles deserve a pat on the back. It was an outstanding effort by them."

The chief downside of a second win at South Leeds Stadium this season (they also triumphed there in the Challenge Cup in April) was an injury to James Laithwaite midway through the first half.

He was helped off after trying to prevent a Hunslet breakaway try, and Kear said: "His wife has taken him to hospital at Warrington for an X-ray on his leg, and if it isn't broken then we will be able to determine exactly what the prognosis is."

At least Laithwaite was helped off the pitch with someone on each arm, rather than being carried off on a stretcher.

Kear added: "James Laithwaite was part of our planned rotation with the middles but that was taken from us so the middles had to play longer minutes and they played them pretty well.

"We had young Brandon Pickersgill on the bench, covering any eventually with (full back) Gregg McNally, but thankfully Gregg came through without a problem. Brandon contributed really well in that 12-15 minutes that he was on."