Cummins up for it as Bradford Bulls aim to follow their Good Friday with super Sunday (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Cummins up for it as Bradford Bulls aim to follow their Good Friday with super Sunday

10:20am Saturday 26th May 2012 in Bulls By Ross Heppenstall, Bradford Bulls Reporter

Francis Cummins will always be inextricably linked with Leeds Rhinos after 17 years at Headingley as a player and coach.

He was part of the Leeds side who delivered the club’s first championship in 32 years when winning the Super League title in 2004.

But there is no mistaking where the assistant coach’s loyalties now lie as the Bulls seek to complete a Super League double over their deadly rivals at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow.

Mick Potter’s men sit one point and one place above Leeds in seventh spot, encouraging hopes that they can defy the club’s financial crisis and secure a play-off berth.

“We feel that we are perhaps a little underestimated in some quarters and we have to go round things maybe a little differently to teams such as Leeds,” said Cummins.

“We know that the desire is there from the players and they have shown that over the past few weeks.

You are always wary of a backlash against them, especially if people write them off

Francis Cummins

“They will be ready to go out and ruffle a few feathers again.”

The tumultuous Good Friday win over Brian McDermott’s side in front of a 20,000-plus crowd at Odsal will live long in the memory.

It came on the back of the club’s Quest for Survival campaign and the performance on the field mirrored the efforts of supporters off it.

Cummins added: “We have the opportunity to do the double over Leeds and that’s great motivation for the club and the supporters. “They were very pleased with what we did on Good Friday and we want to do that again and prove that it was no fluke.

“We didn’t play too well last week at Salford. We were lucky to come out with a draw and Leeds are coming off the back of a loss.

“Collectively as a group we are looking for a performance and we are at the halfway stage of the season. “We are a point ahead of Leeds but we can’t think that is enough. “We need to keep going, picking up the points and prove a lot of people wrong.”

Leeds are wobbling alarmingly and will go into the clash on the back of successive defeats against Hull and St Helens which have left them in the bottom half of the table.

Yet Cummins warned: “You are always wary of a backlash against them, especially if people write them off. They have a great history of doing that, as they showed last year. “Knowing the players and Brian as well as I do, I know that the strength within the group is immense.”

Cummins spoke to the media at the Etihad earlier in the week and he is relishing the Magic Weekend.

He added: “Even driving up to it you can’t fail to be impressed with what you see. “The weekend is a special one for everyone involved and this stadium will enhance that.”

Extra special if the Bulls can claim the derby honours again.