GEORGE Flanagan cannot wait to have a crack at the Championship play-offs with players such as Danny Brough in tow.

The Bulls remained fourth in the table after their superb 36-12 victory at Newcastle Thunder on Saturday evening, and there are a minimum of five matches left of the regular season.

There could still be six if the postponed Sheffield Eagles fixture is re-arranged.

The experienced Brough has been out of action since early June when he tore a bicep in the home fixture against Newcastle, but is due back soon.

Flanagan, at 34 four years Brough’s junior, managed to sneak over for two tries at Kingston Park, and said: “We are happy with where we are at the moment, and once we get some players back we will give it a real good go in the play-offs.

“Our main aim is to finish as high as possible and we are building some nice momentum.

“We had two difficult results against Halifax and Featherstone but we are back on the wagon now and hopefully we can start building for the play-offs.

“It’s knockout rugby, 80 minutes, and I am sure that we will get some bodies back, some old pros and I am sure that we will get the job done.”

Flanagan could hardly keep a smile off his face post-match after his second-half brace (tries 23 and 24 for the Bulls).

But his introduction late in the first half ironically coincided with Newcastle’s two tries.

He said: “They scored and then went over again in those four minutes that I was on so it was not too good for me. I didn’t get the ball in my hand.

“A silly little penalty gave them some field position and they managed to get over for a try, and their second try was from a kick. Sometimes you get a lucky bounce and sometimes you don’t, and on that occasion we didn’t.

“But luckily I started the second half really well and enjoyed my time out there.

“One of their (Newcastle) players, Bob Beswick, I have played against him a lot of years and he is still buying them dummies!

“I love getting over for a try and doing my best for the team and all in all, I am happy with my performance.”

Half-time came at a good time for the Bulls, and Flanagan said: “For the first 33 minutes I thought that we were outstanding, but then suffered a bit of a lapse in concentration.

“John (Kear) just said we needed to be patient, stay calm and come out in the second half all guns blazing, and we knew that if we did that we would score some points, and we did.”