THERE have been a few murmurings about the Bulls’ ability to perform for the full 80 minutes so far this season... but just look at the Championship table.

Jimmy Lowes’ men lie two points off top spot and have won eight games on the spin.

They also have a plum tie at home to Hull KR in the Challenge Cup fifth round to look forward to.

Not bad for a side who have yet to hit top gear.

Therein lies the point.

The Bulls have not played to their full potential this year, but they have not yet needed to. The season is a marathon and not a sprint. It is not how you start, it is how you finish.

Roll out the clichés because they all apply in a season where every coach at the top end of the Championship and the bottom end of Super League will have one eye on the Super Eights.

That is when Lowes must have all his top men fit and firing. That is when he will know his best 17 and that is when we will discover how good this squad really is.

It is easy to forget that Bradford are a new team. Over a dozen new faces arrived during the off-season and it takes time for any new side to gel.

Lowes took his men on a massive hike around Bradford at the start of pre-season training. In terms of on-field bonding, however, the Bulls had only two pre-season friendlies to build their combinations.

Thus they went into their Championship opener at Leigh slightly undercooked, at least in terms of serious match practice.

Then again, the Bulls looked a class above Paul Rowley’s men for much of the opening 40 minutes at Leigh Sports Village.

Bradford led 20-6 at the break and appeared to be cruising. Leigh fought back to win 36-24, but there was no shame in that. The Centurions are an established Championship side. They are a settled team who know each other and, perhaps more importantly, the division inside out.

That much was evident last season when they racked up 23 wins from 24 regular-season games before beating Featherstone in the Grand Final at Headingley.

Can Leigh maintain their relentless form and perhaps even go the season unbeaten? Or are they in danger of peaking too early?

Their visit to Odsal in the Bulls’ last home game of the regular season will not be for the faint hearted.

Crucially, the Bulls should be in a much better position by then in terms of player availability and the team’s form.

Dave Petersen and Karl Davies have yet to play this term after being struck down by lengthy injuries.

Petersen was in the 19-man squad for the Easter Monday win at Dewsbury and could feature against London this weekend.

Matty Blythe, who snubbed interest from Super League clubs following last season’s relegation, will be like a new signing when he returns.

Blythe can be difficult to stop at times, whether it be in the centre or back row, and is certainly capable of doing damage against top-flight teams.

Right now, Lowes is still working out who he can fully trust and who deserves a place in his side.

Men such as Ryan Shaw, Danny Williams, Lee Gaskell, Tom Olbison, Adrian Purtell, Jake Mullaney, Paul Clough, Jay Pitts, Adam Sidlow, Dale Ferguson and Adam O’Brien have impressed.

Shaw, in particular, has been a revelation, proving reliable with the boot and weighing in with eight tries.

Other players have shone in patches, such as Lucas Walshaw at Dewsbury on Monday and academy product Alex Mellor before he got injured.

Harry Siejka’s influence has so far been steady rather than spectacular but his partnership with Gaskell appears to be gradually taking shape.

That said, you would fear for the Bulls if Gaskell was struck down by injury.

Overall, there should be plenty more to come from this squad, which at 30-strong is big enough to cope with a marathon season.

Indeed, the Bulls are arguably better equipped for the Super Eights than Wakefield, who look vulnerable right now.

James Webster admitted this week that his small, injury-crippled squad was on its knees already.

A lot can happen between now and July, but Bradford should only get stronger as the season unfolds.

Next weekend’s visit of Hull KR should provide an indication of how good they currently are.