Nick Scruton embarks on his fifth season as a Bradford player tomorrow and is desperate to finally help the club into the play-offs.

The former Leeds prop, 28, left Headingley for the Bulls ahead of the 2009 campaign.

That season began a run of four successive years outside of the play-offs and Scruton is determined to end the dismal sequence.

“This is my fifth season here and I’ve still not played in a play-off game,” said Scruton, a Grand Final and World Club Challenge winner with Leeds.

“That really hurts and is something we’re desperate to put right.

“Hopefully Wakefield will feel that hurt on Sunday but we want to beat everybody this year.

“I don’t think if we finish anywhere in the top eight that we would have overachieved because we’ve trained that hard.”

Scruton has endured a couple of injury-plagued campaigns but has shown signs of his best form during pre-season.

And he accepts that much responsibility will fall on his shoulders as a senior player within Francis Cummins’ squad.

Scruton said: “Now I’m fully fit I want to take this chance with both hands.

“Franny has shown a bit of faith in me, stuck with me and given me the number eight shirt.

“I want to repay the faith he has shown in me and all the staff for the hours they’ve put in.

“There have been dark times but hopefully I’ve seen the last of them now and can hopefully put some games together.

“I can’t think of one player that Franny hasn’t got the best out of.

“He’s certainly got the best out of me. I’ve got that hunger and desire back.

“I think everyone else can say the same, so hopefully that can make us a better team.”

Scruton feared he would be left high and dry last season as the Bulls faced the grim prospect of being forced into liquidation.

He added: “I didn’t have a club sorted with me being injured.

“I didn’t know if I’d play rugby again last year, so I was nervous going into the pre-season friendlies.

“But I’m not only back to where I was last year and the year before, I'm even better.”