LEIGH Beattie insists his Bulls Under-19s will take the positives from a strong second-half response against St Helens – as his players prepare for a tough test at Newcastle Thunder this weekend.

The first game of the season ended in a 34-10 defeat against a strong Saints outfit, with tries from Oliver Wilson and Callum McGrath for Beattie's side.

Four youngsters made their Bradford bow in the fixture, which saw the home side fight back after a slow start with a promising second-half showing.

Beattie believes the character and resilience shown in the loss will stand his side in good stead ahead of a tough test in the north east.

"They were disappointed because they got somethings wrong but we have worked on that. We just gave too many errors and left ourselves too much to do," said Beattie.

"A positive to take from the game was how they reacted in the second-half but they are a good group of lads and I expected that response.

"They dig in with each other and train to the absolute maximum effort and show character and resilience in abundance. That was never in doubt and they did well in the second half against a really strong St Helens team.

"Newcastle will be another tough test. They are always full of enthusiasm and they do a great job with the Academy – they are coached well.

"A few of the players have already progressed to the first team and they beat Castleford last week, so we are under no illusions how tough a test it will be.

"It is the curtain-raiser to the senior game so there will be a few in the ground to watch on and Newcastle will be raring to go. We have to be ready."

*MARK Dunning is also taking the positives out of his side's defeat against Huddersfield Giants – insisting the improvements that can be made are exciting for the squad’s development.

The opening game of the season saw Dunning’s Under-16s side fall to a 20-4 defeat at Bradford Dudley Hill’s Neil Hunt Memorial Ground.

With a trip to Wakefield Trinity on the horizon, the head coach said his side are heading in the right direction and has praised the effort of his players.

“There were loads of positives to take from the game. It was a really tough contest and conditions were very poor,” said Dunning.

“Both teams dealt them well however and served up a quality game so I am not too displeased at this stage.

“It is all about development at the minute and while everyone wants to win games that they play, we saw some stuff that impressed us.

“The commitment and resilience we saw is exciting but there is also a lot of 'builds' we can take from the game which is even more exciting.

“The improvements we have seen, they are scary if we can get that right and keep the enthusiasm and commitment.

“It is a good start and a good platform for us as a squad. Our focus is on continuing to progress.”