BULLS’ assistant coach Mark Dunning admits it could be a busy week for himself and John Kear, with Jordan Lilley still doubtful for the crucial clash at Halifax on Sunday.

Joe Keyes will miss the West Yorkshire derby with concussion, Danny Brough and Billy Jowitt are long-term injury absentees, while another half, young Matty Race, is on loan at North Wales Crusaders.

Lilley is still recovering from the broken ribs he suffered in the win over Batley on July 4, with the initial diagnosis suggesting he would be out for up to six weeks.

But could the selection crisis in Lilley’s position see him make a dramatic return ahead of schedule?

Speaking after Bradford’s gripping 36-30 defeat to high-flying Featherstone on Sunday, Dunning said: “I don’t know, it’s far too soon to make a call on Jordan. We all know what his injury was and it just seems to be a curse with half-backs at the minute.

“It makes it all the more disappointing that we’re losing Joe for Halifax. We’ll assess and I’m sure the phones will be ringing for John and myself.

“We’ll do whatever we’ve got to do and see what we can come up with for the game.

“Jordan’s a tough kid, so let’s see how he pulls up. I’m not a betting man, but if I was, I certainly wouldn’t be putting money on him playing at Halifax.”

Despite their injury woes, Bulls are in an excellent position in the Championship, sitting fourth and looking a good bet to make the end of season play-offs.

But Dunning warned: “On our day, I firmly believe we can beat anybody and that’s the beauty of play-off/knockout football.

“But we can’t count ourselves as being in the play-offs yet. There’s a long way to go and some good teams around us.

“We’ll reflect now and prepare for a very tough game against Halifax, who are a side in great form.

“We can take the confidence of running Featherstone close into the coming games, but not immediately, as it hurts.

“The players had really bought into what we’re trying to do all week, and had some really honest chats around Tong. We felt we owed Featherstone one or two, so it was a bitter pill to swallow.”

Bulls will undoubtedly have a better chance of beating Fax on Sunday if Tom Doyle and Aaron Murphy are passed fit.

Dunning admitted that was part of the thinking behind the duo missing the Fev defeat, as he said: “Tom had a freak accident at work, nothing serious, but he slipped and banged his hip. He tried his very best to get on the field for this game but he was too sore.

“We just felt the risk outweighed the reward. Aaron Murphy was similar, we could have gambled on him, but he was still hampered by the issue he picked up against Oldham.

“It’s the start to the end of the season if you like though, the business end, and we felt it was better to sit both down and try and get them fully fit for Halifax.”

One player whose fitness is improving every week is powerful prop Anthony Walker.

He provided the game’s highlight with an astonishing 50-metre run to help set up Brandon Pickersgill’s first half try, and he continues to improve on his return to rugby league, after nearly four years out due to a brain condition.

Dunning beamed: “I thought Ant was very good again. What you’re getting from him is four years of frustration, as he’s missed a large chunk of his career.

“He’s putting his best foot forward and he’s endeavouring to be the player we all know he was, and could be again.

“He keeps working hard, and we’ll keep working hard with him and see where we get to.”

Walker steered clear of trouble against Featherstone, but the same could not be said of his team-mates.

Gareth Gale was sent to the sin-bin for the incident which ended Keyes’ afternoon, while Rhys Evans conceded a penalty for reacting to an alleged Brett Ferres headbutt.

Discussing the Evans flashpoint, a diplomatic Dunning said: “I’ve got to be really careful.

“John and I are tight Yorkshiremen who don’t like parting with our money, so I don’t want to get fined.

“Anyone who watches the video back will see there was a clear headbutt, but we’re all human, things get missed and there’s no point crying over spilt milk.

“I’ve got my opinions but if I’m wrong when I watch it back I’ll put my hands in the air. Let’s just hope that others are equally willing to put their hands in the air too though.”

He added: “The same with Joe. I don’t want to get fined. The men in black are a metre away from both incidents, so we’ll let everybody watch the video, review what they see, and make their own conclusions.

“I’ve got mine, but they probably wouldn’t be very popular with the powers that be.”