ALEX Mellor believes the Championship Shield will provide the Bulls with a test of character as he urged his team to go unbeaten for the rest of the year.

Rohan Smith’s men are gearing up for a seven-game series against Whitehaven, Halifax, Oldham, Dewsbury, Swinton, Workington and Sheffield.

They will hope to reach the final and lift the club’s first piece of silverware since the 2006 World Club Challenge victory over Wests Tigers.

Homegrown forward Mellor feels it is important that his side treat the upcoming games with the respect they deserve as the Bulls seek to end the season on a high.

The 21-year-old, who was part of the team that lost last weekend, said: “I can't put into words how badly it felt to lose at Featherstone.

“It was similar to the Million Pound Game at Wakefield last year – simply awful.

“I want this club to be in Super League and I want to be playing there myself, so it's a huge setback.

“But it's about character now and how we come back from it.

“Super League is gone for another year and I think we need to set ourselves a goal of not losing again this season – maybe not even conceding a try.

“We need to get some spark back and ensure we have a positive end to the campaign by winning the Championship Shield.”

Mellor assessed the season as a whole and said Bradford’s failure to make the top four went deeper than coming up second-best at Featherstone.

He said: “We weren't good enough last weekend and the best team won, but our season should never have got to that stage.

“We should have put in better performances throughout the year so that we weren't battling to scrape into the top four on the final day.

“But we will work at it, see where we have gone wrong, and hopefully come back stronger next season.”

Mellor, who made his first-team debut against Warrington in June 2013, is under contract for another year.

The academy graduate said: “I've had an injury-free season so far, touch wood, and that has been a positive for me because I had around 14 weeks out last year.

“I've got quite a lot of game-time under Rohan and he's a great bloke, but I'm not going to get complacent.

“I know I need to keep working hard but I respect Rohan a lot and I hope that is reflected in how I play.”