Heath L’Estrange has admitted that talk is cheap and has urged the Bulls to deliver where it really matters next season – on the field.

Bradford are gearing up for a pivotal campaign after last season saw them fail to make the play-offs for a third successive year.

The frustration of their tenth-placed finish has since given way to a growing sense of optimism among Mick Potter’s squad, with six new players having been recruited.

Yet L’Estrange, 26, is refusing to get carried away and says the focus is solely on improving performances and achieving far greater consistency.

The Aussie hooker, a leading candidate to land the club captaincy for 2012, said: “We can’t get ahead of ourselves.

“We probably did that last year and the year before, talking about what we were going to do.

“We are confident we can do well but we need to be consistent throughout the year.”

The Bulls claimed some notable scalps last term – thumping Huddersfield on home soil and beating bitter rivals Leeds at Headingley for the first time in four years.

Yet L’Estrange admitted those highlights were few and far between.

“Last season we played well for a couple of games and then badly for six games,” he said.

“That’s not the way you play in Super League.

“We need to be consistent, make the top eight and then it’s a whole different competition from there.”