JOHN Kear has welcomed the weekend breather for his patched-up Bulls.

The absence of a game because of the Challenge Cup final comes as a relief for a side who continue to be hit hard by injuries and Covid withdrawals.

The third-placed Bulls face a huge challenge next when they host Featherstone, who have already beaten them handsomely twice.

Fev are in Wembley action in the 1895 Cup against York but Kear is happy that his men can put their feet up.

He said: “I wouldn’t say it’s a good thing normally because I want to keep playing regularly during the season.

“But I must admit it will be very welcome with all the current frustrations. We can all use this time to try to solve any conundrums that have been thrown up.

“We’ve suffered some adversity, let’s not kid ourselves. The injury list has been unbelievable and for them to be where they are at this moment in time is great credit to the players.

“As we keep saying, it’s a ‘make do and mend situation’ for at least a couple of weeks and that does put pressure on the team.

“It’s been so frustrating. You see so many good things out there but simply through injury, which I know is part and parcel of the game, that’s taken away from you.

“Every positive seems to be met with a negative at this moment. It’s like you’ve built a wall and somebody has come and knocked it down overnight.”

The Bulls, like many clubs, have also suffered from players having to self-isolate after being picked up by track and trace – forward Ebon Scurr was recently affected.