JOHN Kear admits he is looking for an 80-minute performance from his players as they enter the business end of the season – insisting the ‘final third’ needs to be the ‘best third’ with Widnes Vikings the first challenge.

The Bradford boss saw his side narrow the gap to the Betfred Championship play-offs with a 24-20 win over Halifax RLFC last time out.

Kear believes the opening 55-60 minutes was one of the best performances of the season to date.

Now consistency will prove key to his side’s play-off hopes, with nine games remaining of the regular season.

“It was a positive response after the game at Leigh and I would say for 55-60 minutes that was the best we had played,” said Kear.

“I thought we were controlled and composed – we played some good rugby and defended well so it was a good two points but of course there are still things to learn and progress with.

“We have had some good games this year and good performances but we have not done it consistently enough and I am still waiting for that 80-minute performance.

“That is what we are striving for, that is what we are working towards as we enter the business end of the season.

“This is the last third and it needs to be the best third. This is when the money is on the line and we know we have to be good but we are aware we will be challenged too.

“Widnes are a very good team and we are fully aware of the threats they will pose – we know how to stop them we just have to put that into practice and exploit them practically.”