STEVE Crossley wants the Bulls to strike the first blow for a change.

Sunday’s battling win over Dewsbury at Odsal made it three in a row for John Kear’s side.

But once more, they conceded the opening points – a trend that captain Crossley is eager to put right.

He said: “It’s been the story for quite a bit of the season so far. We seem to find ourselves behind and then react.

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“It’s something we really need to fix so we’re not in that position.

“But there is a lot of character and fight in this squad. You can tell we do get better as the game goes on.

“But if we can make a good start then it would make things a lot easier for ourselves.”

After Kear’s criticism of his team’s attitude the previous week against Keighley, Crossley admitted there was a point to prove as they ground down a dogged Dewsbury.

“That was for the team as a whole,” he added. “I know we made quite a few changes for that (Keighley) game but we didn’t play to how we had set up.

“We were so ill-disciplined both with the ball in hand and without it. But again, we had the character to still come through it.

“We expected Dewsbury to come and give us a good game. They got a really good result a couple of weeks ago against Fev (Featherstone) at their place, so we knew it would be a tough battle.

“We found ourselves behind in the first few minutes. But we knew if we stayed in the game and completed our sets, we’d always have a chance.”

Crossley was pleased to see fit-again Jordan Lilley back in action alongside Rowan Milnes to give the Bulls two specialists in the halves. It has been a hugely problematic area for Kear with so many unavailable.

“It’s good to play with some natural half-backs for once this year,” said the big forward.

“I know John has built a big squad to try and make up for any injuries or suspensions. But it’s still not worked because we’ve had so many out.

“We’ve had to put people there who don’t usually play in that position.

“But the best thing is we’re still winning games, even though we’ve not played to our full potential yet.

“We’re still grafting and working for each other, which is a really big sign for the rest of the season.

“There are still more to come back from injury and still more to come performance-wise. It’s going to be a big year ahead.”

Meanwhile, former Bulls chief Jimmy Lowes will join Ealing Trailfinders coaching team for the 2019/20 season.

Lowes links up with the rugby union side - currently second in the Championship - after leaving his role as a coach with Leeds Rhinos