JIMMY Lowes believes his partnership with Karl Harrison is the perfect fit for the Bulls helm – now he has stopped being stubborn.

New number two Harrison admitted the pair "didn't see eye to eye" when he first arrived as a coach at the club over a decade ago and Lowes was still playing.

But older and wiser, the duo are now the driving force behind the push to make the club's stay in the Championship as brief as possible.

As their relationship grew, Lowes hooked up with Harrison at Salford as his assistant. Now five years on, they are reunited once again on the Odsal sidelines.

When asked about his initial mistrust, Lowes laughed: "I was a bit of a stubborn so and so to be fair in those days. But you expect that.

"You've got to earn the right as a coach as much as a player. The stuff I do, I've got to earn the respect of the blokes here and I intend to do that.

"It was exactly the same there with Rhino (Harrison) and he worked hard when he came in. Then I went off to work for him. That shows how much I respect the bloke.

"Now it's the other way round and he's my assistant. But that's just part of sport again and being a big enough man to accept that – that's why he is here."

Harrison has spent the last five seasons coaching at Championship level with Batley and then the last three years at Halifax.

But Lowes dismisses the idea that insider knowledge of the division is crucial as the Bulls get ready for life in the Championship.

Lowes said: "I don't really understand that. We're playing rugby. We're playing at a decent level against some tough opposition – that's the same as Super League.

"Some of the grounds we go to are possibly not up to that standard. But if it's just a ground that's the difference and we can't cope with that, then it's pretty sad really.

"I know quite a lot of players that are playing in and around the Championship. I've watched the Championship and saw Leigh beat Featherstone in the Grand Final.

"At the end of the day, it's a game of rugby on a field. If I can't prepare for that, not having coached in the Championship before, then I'm a pretty sad coach."