JOHN Kear believes Keelan Foster can be the next talented teenager to step up for the Bulls.

Foster and Rowan Milnes flew the Bradford flag for Yorkshire academy in Wednesday’s clash with the Australian Schoolboys.

Both featured in the 30-22 defeat at Castleford, Milnes landing a second-half conversion to level the scores before the Aussies ran in two late tries.

Milnes, Matty Storton and Olly Wilson all burst on to the scene during the club’s successful League One promotion campaign.

Now Kear is keeping a close eye to see if 18-year-old prop Foster can make the transition when the time comes.

The Bulls head coach has noticed the difference in the youngsters when they do start mixing it with the first-team squad.

He said: “It accelerates them. In any walk of life, the higher-level people you’re surrounded by, the more you respond.

“That’s exactly what they’ve done. There are three good ‘uns and I think young Keelan Foster is one to watch and monitor closely.

“He reminds me very much of Keegan Hirst when I first came across him. Keelan’s a big, awkward lump and it takes it out of the opposition constantly to put him down.

“We are blessed and it’s a feather in the cap. It’s all credit to John Bastian for his identification as well as Mark Dunning and Leigh Beattie for the development.”

The opportunity to mix it with the cream of the crop of Australia’s youngsters this week is another step up the ladder in Kear’s eyes.

He said: “They are no mugs and if you look over the years, some of the greats of the Australian national team have started off in the junior Kangaroos. It’s the same with New Zealand and the junior Kiwis.

“It applies across the hemispheres and that’s why it was interesting to see how Olly and Keelan got on.”