Shortly before the Bulls’ first pre-season outing at Castleford on Boxing Day, Jason Crookes spoke of his determination to succeed in 2012.

Crookes, by his own admission, was given a “kick up the backside” following the arrival of several new faces during the close-season.

Two months on and three games into the new campaign, it would seem there was substance to his desire.

The 21-year-old wing or centre has been a quietly impressive performer so far this term as he bids to stay at Odsal beyond the end of the summer, when his current contract expires.

He scored tries against Castleford and Hull in pre-season before touching down against Wigan for his first Super League try of the year last weekend.

“I’m happy at the moment but I just need to keep improving because there is still more to come,” said Crookes.

“Yes, the increased competition within the squad has been good for me and given me a kick up the backside that I needed. I’ve tried really hard this year to push on and get in the team every week.

“I know I need a big year because it’s the last year of my contract. My contract situation is out of my hands and all I can do is just keep playing as I’m playing.”

Crookes cemented his place in Mick Potter’s plans with a spectacular length-of-the-field score against Hull in the final pre-season fixture.

That booked his place in the side to face Catalan Dragons the following week and he will line up against Wakefield on Saturday.

Crookes, currently keeping out Shaun Ainscough and Karl Pryce, said: “I wanted a big game against Hull to try and get in the team for the first Super League game.

“I’ve always had pace but not had many chances to use it, so that try at the KC Stadium did me no harm.

“It was a big confidence boost to get the nod to play against Catalan, rather than playing under-20s or going away on loan.

“Mick has said that I’m going well and to keep improving and trying my hardest. I just need to kick on now and get a few more tries.”

Potter added: “Crookesy has done really well and I’m happy with the way he’s going. If I wasn’t happy with him then he wouldn’t be in the team.

“He will stay in the team if he wants to stay in the team. He will be the guy who decides that because he’s performing well enough to stay in the team.

“I’m happy with his positional play and sometimes he can actually overwork if anything because he wants to get involved, probably more so than your average winger.

“He’s a fast player and has good feet but there’s still a couple of things for him to work on. Overall though, he’s an improving player.”

Crookes, meanwhile, will again patrol the Bulls’ left flank on Saturday night in a match he feels they simply cannot afford to lose.

Potter’s men were hammered by Wigan last week and Crookes declared: “We need a big performance this week and I think it’s a must-win game for us. We’ve all got to stick together and put in a big performance – we certainly need one.

“Everything Wakefield do goes through Tim Smith, so we need to stop him then try and play our own game.”