Three is the magic number when it comes to the Bulls’ chances of success against Hull KR tomorrow.

Both teams are looking to record a hat-trick of consecutive Super League wins and Bradford boss Steve McNamara knows the form of their respective back threes will be crucial to deciding which way the pendulum swings.

His own trio have been flying in recent weeks.

Right winger Rikki Sheriffe scored his first ever hat-trick for the club in the win at Catalans, while on the opposite flank, Dave Halley has touched down twice in three games.

But the real stand-out has been Brett Kearney – a revelation since being moved to full back for last month’s 19-12 win against Harlequins.

The Bulls’ leader in both tackle busts and clean breaks, power and pace make him a real threat when running the ball back. That, combined with his organisational skills, communication and awareness in defence, make him a vitally important player at both ends of the pitch.

The form of all three will be put to the test by the Robins – particularly Michael Dobson and Scott Murrell – who consistently turn teams around with their tactical kicking.

“We’ve now got some options in those areas,” said McNamara.

“Rikki, Dave and Brett Kearney were the three in the last Super League game and then we rolled those people around and Jason Crookes did extremely well against Dewsbury.

“Stu Reardon has been missing for the last few weeks with an injury but we’ve coped well.

“It’s a vital part to the game and there’s an ever increasing demand on those players in those roles.

“The days of wingers being out-and-out wingers and just scoring tries are well and truly over. The importance of your back three is vital.

“Equally, Hull KR have a very strong back three who bring the ball back well and get them on the front foot if you let them do that.”

McNamara knows every last detail is important if the Bulls are to continue their five-game unbeaten run.

More than many of their rivals, Bradford cannot allow individual performances to slip as a tight budget means they are operating with one of the smallest senior squads in the competition.

They may sit fifth in the table but McNamara highlights the 20-20 draw at Leeds and 20-16 win against Crusaders as results that could easily have swung the opposite direction.

He said: “There’s a very fine line and we’re not stupid enough not to know we can fall out of that.

“Sinfield kicks a goal from the sideline and we don’t get a point at Leeds and Crusaders catch a ball near the end and that result changes.

“All sorts of elements keep us on our toes all the time. We’re not the kind of side who can afford for half its players not to be playing well.

“If you look back at our good results, most of the players have played well. There have been very few poor individual performances and, as a group, that’s what we’re based on.”

It has been more difficult to maintain that performance over the past month, with games coming thick and fast, particularly over Easter.

The Bulls are still suffering a few of the after-effects and fine management of the players’ workloads has been key this week.

McNamara said: “As with form, where you can slip in and out of form quickly, the league table can change, with teams able to slip up and down all the time.

“It’s been a different week for us as a whole because some players have had to train a little bit less and some players have had to train a little bit more.

“Friday was our first whole session together as a team and I must say, they looked fresh and balanced.”