BRANDON Pickersgill has spoken of his excitement at Bulls' potential following Sunday’s dramatic opening-day clash with London Broncos.

The full-back was named man-of-the-match following a peerless display in what was his 50th career appearance, which saw Bradford launch a fightback against the Championship newcomers.

Bulls fell just short in an 18-14 defeat and former Stanningley amateur Pickersgill believes his side will need to be ‘smarter’ to see off rivals York City Knights in another mouthwatering fixture.

“We hung in really well against London – we were really resilient and I thought the scoreline could have gone either way but I am immensely proud of the boys,” said the 22-year-old.

“The young boys stood up and I am proud of them and excited to see where we can go – we have a trip to York which we are all looking forward to.

“Our defence was good against London and to restrict a side who attack as well as they do like we did was pleasing but we need to be a bit smarter in attack.

“We fixed a few things up at half-time and scored some tries and we will learn moving forward.

“We looked at where teams were expected to finish and it is another good test for us – York are a top team and it is a massive game where we need to perform."

Pickersgill reflected on his first 50 games as a Bull, having now emerged as a senior figure to some of the younger stars. He still feels he has room for improvement.

“My debut (Toulouse in 2017) seems an age away but I see myself in the young lads coming up and I try be a smooth head at the back and stay in control to keep them at ease,” he said.

“I am still improving though, as we all are, and that leaves me excited for what is to come.

“I am racking up the games now and am not afraid to tell the boys what they need to do, as they aren’t with me. It is a good milestone to hit and hopefully I can hit another 50.”