IT has been a busy period for Bradford Bulls in the off-season, with a squad overhaul taking place prior to the opening fixture of the Betfred Championship campaign on Sunday.

Several key squad members from last season left the club including Danny Brough (Retired), Sam Hallas (Newcastle Thunder) and Joe Brown (York City Knights), but the arrival of fresh faces has helped to soften the blow for Kear’s side.

They have invested well, bringing in the likes of experienced Super League player Dec Patton, while also capturing Championship talents such as Ryan Miller, Kieran Gill and Sam Scott.

Bradford’s new stars have taken to the field in recent pre-season games against Hull FC and Leeds Rhinos, and captain Steve Crossley has been impressed with what he has seen.

He said: “I think the new boys will have a massive impact for us this season. Dec (Patton) brings that Super League experience but also brings good leadership skills with him as well.

“He knows the way he wants to play, and he has a real good link-up with his edge which obviously Kieran Gill is also a part of.

“We lost Broughy (Danny) in the summer and he was a huge loss. He had an abundance of experience at the top level and losing him, his voice and leadership was something that we needed to address. With someone like Dec, he’s a younger but similar mould to Broughy in the way he likes to dictate the play. We saw that against Hull and Leeds, especially in the first half, so having him on board is great for us.

“And Gill brings real good strike to the three-quarter line and he has already gone over for us a couple of times in pre-season, so I think we can see that combination linking up really well.

“Also, the likes of Sam Scott will play a big part for us. I believe he will be one of those unsung heroes throughout the season because he’s an absolute workhorse. He knows his job, he knows what he needs to do and he goes about his job the right way, so he’ll be very much an unsung hero, but someone who the team really needs.

“All the lads have settled in really well and there is already some great friendships forming within the group.”

Bradford put on a fantastic first half display against Leeds on Sunday, defending heroically to keep the visitors out for three consecutive sets and despite losing the game 12-30, they did go into the break 12-0 up. After the game Crossley heaped praise on his side’s first-half defensive display.

He said: “The first half was great for us to look at because minus the injuries that was our strongest line-up available.

“The defensive effort and desire not to be broken against a very good Leeds side was something for us to be very proud of.

“We had a lot of pride and urgency on our defensive line, so that should set the standard for the rest of the year.

“We were tiring as that’s what happens when you are defending three sets on the trot, but we showed a lot of resilience which is something we are trying to build within the squad for this season. Based on the first-half when we had our strongest line-up out, I do think we’ve got something very positive to build on.”

Bradford will be hoping to replicate that first half performance in greater proportions this Sunday when the Championship returns, Crossley’s side heading to Dewsbury Rams for a 3:00 PM kick-off in the opening round.