Kear focuses on "four-pointer"

And while the Bulls have only won two of their last eight in league and cup, the Wildcats have lost their last three as next weekend’s Challenge Cup semi-final seems to have taken a grip on the squad.

A consequence of this is that Kear has closed ranks at Belle Vue and very much put the emphasis on this weekend.

He said: “Whoever wins this goes two points ahead and it’s a ‘four-pointer’.

“That is the reality of the situation but in order to positively influence the outcome we need to go through the basic processes of rugby league and that’s been the emphasis this week.”

With the cup match against Hull FC looming, Kear has refused to discuss injuries or player selection for the Bulls’ game in an attempt to restore his team’s focus.

He said: “We are concentrating on the matter in hand, which is Bradford, and not thinking about the semi-final and that’s the reason we have declined to talk about injuries.

“All I can promise is that we will pick the strongest 17 for Bradford and the strongest 17 for the semi-final.”

He added: “The cup must have been a distraction. You just need to look at how well we have played in the last three games and obviously it has got into some of our heads and it might have got into mine.”

A win at Bradford would prove to be a huge boost ahead of the semi-final but a good performance is Kear’s priority.

He said: “There is pressure on the lads to get a performance, not a result.

“We (the coaching staff] know what we are looking for and what we want out of this week.”

Meanwhile, ace tackler Duncan MacGillivray has been named in Wildcats’ 19-man squad, the Scotland international having missed last weekend’s disappointing team display against Hull.

His inclusion could force a switch into the centres for club captain Jason Demetriou in the absence of Aussie Tony Martin.

Head coach John Kear has also named four wingers in the 19.