It goes without saying wingers can’t ever stand still but Dave Halley accepts he has to really move through the gears next season.

Although 2008 proved a crucial campaign for the Bulls speedster, when he won over plenty of fans with some eye-catching displays early on, the Wales international knows he must improve further.

He played the majority of games this year but his club were hamstrung by injuries for much of the summer and a major competitor for a wide spot has since joined up at Grattan Stadium.

Winter recruit Rikki Sheriffe has arrived from Harlequins and already taken Halley’s No 2 jersey. Halley drops to 20, which hints Steve McNamara may not see him as an automatic starter in Super League XIV, while Kiwi winger Tame Tupou is seeking a big impact after missing six months following a knee reconstruction.

With top scorer Semi Tadulala continuing his form into the World Cup, Halley – who also operates at full back – realises competition is going to be fierce in 2009 and said: “There’s so many good players.

“It is massive this year for me. I’ve only signed on a one-year contract, so I know I have to perform – but Tame’s on his way back from injury, Rikki’s come in, there’s Michael Platt to come back yet from the World Cup too and, of course, Semi.

“It is going to be so hard to get in and stay in. It won’t be like last year when we were having to play people because there was no one else. You can’t rely on that. It’ll be really tough with everyone going for these spots.”

Halley, 22, is ready for the challenge though and, having tasted regular action for the first time in his Odsal career, is not ready to fall back into the fringes.

The diminutive Bradfordian – the lightest player in McNamara’s squad – is the first to admit he must work on certain areas, especially with so much emphasis being placed on power and size in the modern game.

“Steve’s sat me down, had a talk with me and said although some of my overall performances last season were good, there’s lots of areas I need to improve on,” explained Halley.

“I know that. I wasn’t happy with the way I finished the season and must pick things up.

“I have to put some weight on and that’s something I’m working at, while the main things Steve has spoken to me about are probably line-breaking and tackling.”

Halley made only five clean breaks all season, averaging just one every four matches last season, so is well aware of the need to improve his incisiveness.

The more physical Sheriffe and Tadulala each topped 20 at almost one per contest, while that duo also each made 117 metres during an average Super League contest compared to Halley’s 91.

Statistically, they do have more cutting edge – as does the hulking figure of Tupou – although Sheriffe (30) missed almost twice as many tackles as Halley (16) throughout the campaign.

However, the Bulls also want Halley to be more dominant in the hits he does make and he admitted: “I need to build on my tackling and improve that.

“Breaking the line counts for a lot in our team, as well as it’s an important part of how we do things. I realise I have to do it more often and that’s my target. I’m looking forward to getting cracking again.”