THE Bulls are in play-off mode already as coach Rohan Smith admitted: "I've been like that from the start."

With two games of the Championship schedule to go, Bradford are a point behind the top four.

Tomorrow's Odsal clash with relegation-battling Oldham is a 'win or bust' scenario for the Bulls, setting up a huge final-day showdown with a Featherstone side currently behind them on points difference.

But Smith is used to the expectation resting on the latest outcome – he has been living with it since taking the reins from Jimmy Lowes in May.

"In my own head, it's been that way since I arrived," said the Australian.

"From the moment I got here it was about winning each week, or more importantly performing each week. You perform well and the result takes care of itself.

"I haven't looked at the remaining fixtures and don't even know how many points other teams are on.

"All I know is we can take care of ourselves to give us a really good chance of being in that top four. It's definitely within grasp but we're purely focused on performing well.

"I think it's exciting. You play for those big occasions where the two points potentially get you where you want to be. It keeps you alive. That's why you play professional sport."

Smith admits he is not considering the worst-case scenario and any potential fall-out should the Bulls, one of the few full-time clubs in the division, fail to qualify.

He said: "I'm just controlling what I can and preparing the players as best I can. There's a short-term vision here but also a long-term one behind the scenes.

"My immediate plan is the short-term one and making sure we perform well this weekend."

Yet Smith has been keeping close tabs on the Super League rivals his side might encounter in the Middle 8s.

He said: "Personally, I started checking out Super League a couple of months ago when I got here. I've been tracking a lot of those teams.

"I watch lots of rugby league every week, so I'm constantly preparing for the future. I'm not overly-concerned about any of those teams at this point."

After his stunning debut display, Dane Chisholm will again partner St Helens loanee Lewis Charnock in the halves – and Smith is not surprised by how quickly his new number seven has settled in.

"Dane's a confident character and he came in last week excited about playing first-team football again," said the Bulls coach.

"He just said how comfortable he felt in the environment. Happy players at training tend to lead to good performances.

"We're looking to add quality players and Dane's been in NRL systems for a long time but hasn't quite established himself as a fixture there. He's looking to find a club that believe in him and give him that opportunity.

"We're asking Dane to compete hard, take the line on and chase his kicks. Whatever happens after that is a bonus."

But there were aspects of the 64-18 trouncing of Whitehaven that Smith was not happy about – especially the way his team handled kicks.

He said: "There were a couple of areas of our game that weren't up to scratch in that last 30 minutes. In particular, there was the way we defended on kicks.

"We've put some focus onto that this week and our ability to shut down the second kick or the scrappy play after the kick hits the ground.

"I felt our line was very good and we tackled quite well but I'm looking forward to us defending kicks better."