GEOFF Toovey reckons the underdog Bulls can put the bite on Championship shield winners Hull KR.

Rovers head into tomorrow's top v bottom clash at Odsal on a nine-match unbeaten run stretching back to Easter.

But having run them so close in a 20-19 loss in the Summer Bash, Toovey believes his side have shown they can give the leaders a run for their money.

"We're at the bottom of the comp and they are at the top, so realistically it's a bit of a miss-match," he said.

"But in saying that, last time we played them in Blackpool, our forwards stood up to their pack and did a fantastic job.

"The conditions probably suited us with the rain but we've got to do that again on a dry track.

"They'll be wanting to show their dominance early on around that forward area. We need to match them to have any chance of winning.

"We gained some confidence from how we did at Blackpool and hopefully we'll be able to display the same commitment to defence."

Australian recruit Damian Sironen will boost the pack and Toovey will also hand a debut to loan recruit Cory Aston at half back.

But he is counting the cost of last week's loss at Halifax. Colton Roche has recovered from a hip problem but Ross Peltier faces a spell on the sidelines after damaging ankle ligaments.

Toovey said: "It looks like he'll be out for several weeks. Ross definitely carries the ball well for us and we'll miss that part of his game.

"It's disappointing for him because he's just starting to find a bit of fitness and form – but we'll just have to step up to a plate and find someone who can do his job."

Toovey will also expect to see a marked improvement on the lacklustre performance at the Shay.

The 20-18 loss to Fax, coupled with Oldham's surprise win over Toulouse, left the Bulls ten points adrift at the bottom with three games left before the league split.

Toovey said: "It was pretty disappointing, particularly having played some good football the week before, but our consistency has let us down all year.

"It was our lowest completion rate and the second-highest missed tackle count against a team I thought we could have beaten with the form we were in.

"It's a funny game. The momentum shifts from team to team. It took us a long time to arrest that momentum and it was too late by the time we did that.

"Mental discipline is about completing your sets, doing the little things right and winning those contests. We fell away from that completely.

"We'll need that this week if we've got any chance of winning. We'll need to improve a lot.

"Things need to go our way but we're confident we can make that happen. We're in there with a chance.

"There's no denying we will be the underdogs – but what a great way to prove yourself, to beat those guys who are first."

Since losing 17-6 to Toulouse in France on April 17, Hull KR have won eight times and drawn once.

Tim Sheens' side have wrapped up the divisional shield with three games to spare but an instant return to the Super League remains their only objective.

Toovey said: "They are pushing extremely hard and have spent a lot of resources to try and get back up as soon as possible.

"Like where we are, if you're here for a few more years, those resources dry up pretty quickly and you find yourself struggling to get back there.

"They are in that spotlight but they've got a quality side. The pressure is on them definitely, not on us, and we'll hopefully use that to our advantage to make it a really good contest.

"The good thing for us is that we're playing them at Odsal. We'll get a vocal crowd there and I'm sure our supporters will be cheering the loudest.

"Hopefully that lends it a little in our favour. We love being the underdogs and hopefully that will inspire our boys."