Bradford Bulls still in Championship play-off race says Kear

The head coach added he's thrived under pressure before and that achieving success under those circumstances is what sport is all about.

Bulls suffered a major blow to their promotion hopes with a 52-20 humbling at regional rivals Leigh.

The Odsal outfit now sit four points adrift of that crucial fifth spot, but Kear feels positive knowing Bulls must play sides around them in the final stretch of the season.

He said: "I think it's very achievable, because those games, they not only become two points that you can gain, they're two points you can take off your opposition who are in a similar position.

"They're vital these games against your Halifaxs, your Yorks, and not so much your Widneses.

"Because obviously Widnes are tough opposition, but they've had those points deducted, it makes it really tough for them to qualify.

"They are four pointers, there's no doubt about that.

"Last week was a four-pointer and obviously Leigh put a bit of distance between themselves and ourselves by winning that.

"There's a four-point buffer they've got now on us.

"That's how important that game was and that's why it was so disappointing when we came up short."

Kear knows all too well about turning round the fortunes of a club under pressurised circumstances.

He said: "I've been in the game many years and believe you and me, when I took over at Wakefield in 2006 and we'd six games left to save our Super League lives, the pressure's nothing like that.

"This I feel is a positive type of pressure, an achievement type of pressure.

"Whereas that pressure was to save my, and the players' and the administrative staff's jobs by staying in the Super League, which is what we managed to achieve there.

"What I'll try to get over to the players is that, if you do achieve something like that, and obviously ours would be a positive achievement, the rewards are great and the elation is fantastic and it's what you're in sport for.

"That's how I'll be trying to sell it to the playing group."

Bulls are one of the more youthful sides in the Betfred Championship this season.

That brings its own benefits - energy, enthusiasm and a will to try new things - as Kear has mentioned before.

But, the head coach is also aware of how vital experience will be over the coming months.

He said: "It's all well and good having young men who are keen, enthusiastic and naive.

"You also need blokes who have been there and got the T-shirt.

"That's what we get when, should we get Jy (Hitchcox), Jake (Webster) and Joe (Keyes) all on the field at the same time.

"They've got a lot of first-grade games under their belt and they would obviously add massively.

"Not only through the talent that they've got, but through the experience that they've had in games previously. They just add so much to us.

"As would Rhys Evans, hopefully when he gets back towards the end of July.

"We've had some really good players on the sideline.

"Should we get them on the field, we should then benefit from them and hopefully we'll finish the season strong because of that."