LEON Pryce has described James Bentley as the best player in the Championship – and is urging the Bulls to secure him on a long-term deal.

The teenager doubled his try tally in his first year as a professional with four in Sunday's win over Sheffield at Odsal.

Skipper Pryce saw that as the latest example of another outstanding talent emerging through the club ranks and said: "James Bentley's been like that all season.

"Every single game he's done something – broken through tackles or set tries up. For me, he's been the best player in the Championship this season by an absolute mile.

"It's no coincidence he scored four tries. That's come from his hard graft. He's really disciplined, really professional and trains very hard and does all the extras.

"It's a real breakthrough season for him. The quicker we can get him tied down to a long-term contract the better because he's been absolutely outstanding. He could easily play Super League."

The likes of Bentley, Ethan Ryan and Ross Oakes have all shone as the rebuilt Bulls have been forced to put their faith in youth.

It has had to be a fast growing-up process but veteran Pryce, one of six home-grown players in the weekend line-up, can see huge benefits.

He said: "The people who were here before who signed these kids have got to be applauded. The lads out there have been fantastic at such a young age.

"The Championship is not as fast as Super League but it's probably more physical. For them to come into this league and stand up against some tough guys shows you what they are made of. They have been fantastic for us."

The emphatic victory over Sheffield answered the criticism following the loss to Oldham and another win on Good Friday against Halifax at Odsal would finally wipe out the 12-point penalty with which the Bulls kicked off the campaign.

Pryce said: "You've got to remember we're a very young team – possibly the youngest team that's ever played in this competition. We've got this learning process and it takes time.

"But I think we showed this week we learned from last week, which is important. That was the best first half we've had all season. We put our foot down and I felt the game was almost over at half-time.

"We've got a really good bunch; a really tight group. When you go through adversity, it brings out a lot of character.

"With everything that happened in the pre-season, it brought everybody really close together. We socialise together, have coffees together all the time and you see that tight bond out on the field."