THE Bulls have been warned to get running as the pre-season countdown continues.

With just over a fortnight to the opening friendly at Castleford, John Kear’s squad have switched their training focus to the field.

After a month of intensive gym work, the players are finally outside to face a new running regime.

Kear said: “Perhaps its less intense weight-wise, but there’s much more running to do now.

“We’ve got a certain volume of running that we need to hit. Obviously, we will up that over this week and next before easing back off when we’re in the preparation for the Boxing Day game.

“It’s been excellent so far and I can’t sing the praises of the players high enough. They’ve been absolutely first class.

“The big thing that’s brought it nearer is the fact we will be out on the field doing team work.

“I think it’s been a blessed relief to them after being in the gym all the time.

“It’s great doing that and we’ve kept them off their feet deliberately because we know it’s going to be a long season.

“But now we’ve got to get some metres and kilometres into the legs so that they are ready.”

The players have put the recent off-field concerns behind them and Kear has been delighted with the attitude on show since they returned to Tong on November 5.

He added: “They are looking really sharp because they’ve got sprint work. They are looking really strong because of the gym work and looking really agile as well.

“I’m really pleased with where we are at. The medical staff and conditioning staff headed by Adam Simpson have done a great job.

“Now it’s up to us to start getting some rugby metres and rugby knowledge into them.”