Potter calls for patience in build-up

Handling errors have been a common theme so far this season and Bradford’s boss has urged his new-look side to show more killer instinct.

The process has been complicated by an influx of 11 new players and uncertainty at half-back, where winter arrivals Marc Herbert and Kyle Briggs have each missed a handful of games due to injury.

But Herbert has featured in each of the last three fixtures since recovering from a hamstring strain and Potter insists the source of the Bulls’ problems in possession lie elsewhere.

Ball control will be crucial to chances at St Helens tonight and he has a simple solution – patience.

Potter said: “I think the players are getting used to Marc. They’ve had most of the pre-season with him so they should be by now.

“It’s more team things we need to fix up, more so than a new player coming in.

“We’re just a bit loose and we just get a little bit too excited with the ball when there’s half an opportunity.

“We get a little bit frivolous and turn the ball over when we don’t need to. We’re not building enough pressure on the other team.

“That’s down to a combinations of things. The guys see half an opportunity and they want to score right away when perhaps you should wait to the next play and maybe have a little bit more patience.”

Although attack is still a work in progress, the Bulls put in a superb defensive display to beat Castleford last time out.

More than anything, Potter was delighted by the way his team responded from the previous week’s setback at Huddersfield – an embarrassing 50-16 defeat – and reckons they are slowly starting to realise their potential.

He said: “I think it was a good rebound from the previous week. I think we’re getting there but I still think there’s a lot of improvement in us.

“Some aspects of the game are getting clearer and the players are getting better under fatigue and getting better in certain situations.

“By no means are we the finished article now. I think there’s a lot more in us still.”