JORDAN Lilley tends to flourish when he has an aging fellow half back next to him who can dictate the play expertly, like Danny Brough previously and Lee Gaskell currently.

But the Bulls scrum half took the game by the scruff of the neck himself against Swinton last weekend without Gaskell by his side, a development that bodes well for head coach Eamon O’Carroll.

He is excited by where an ever-improving Lilley can take his game to, telling the T&A: “Jordan’s obviously got some real qualities and he shows a number of those during games.

“But the exciting thing is he has so much left to go and we just have to get that out of him consistently.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Eamon O'Carroll was thrilled with how Jordan Lilley played at Swinton, but insists his little playmaker can get even better.Eamon O'Carroll was thrilled with how Jordan Lilley played at Swinton, but insists his little playmaker can get even better. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

“Having good people and players around him helps him improve his level and as I said at the weekend, his decisions at the end of our sets against Swinton showed he was doing well.

“I thought the combination of Jordan and Tom Holmes in the halves worked nicely together.”

While Lilley is thriving, fellow half back Billy Jowitt is having a miserable time.

The luckless 23-year-old has been plagued by injuries ever since breaking into the Bulls side in 2021 and is currently facing a long absence with a dislocated shoulder, not the first time he has suffered this issue.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Billy Jowitt was all smiles earlier this year, but another bad injury is threatening to derail his progress as a rugby league player.Billy Jowitt was all smiles earlier this year, but another bad injury is threatening to derail his progress as a rugby league player. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

O’Carroll said: “I feel for Billy and I’m sure he’s frustrated at the minute.

“We’re currently looking for more specialist opinions on his shoulder problem, and what we can do to prevent it popping out again in the future.

“We want him to be able to come back stronger and not risk it coming back out again immediately.

“Ultimately, we just want to do right by him with this injury.”

Jowitt will obviously be absent for this weekend’s 1895 Cup semi-final against Wakefield at Odsal, as will several of his teammates.

O’Carroll only expects John Davies (illness) to be in line for a return, out of those who missed the Betfred Championship win at Swinton.

But in positive news, no-one picked up an injury during that game that will rule them out of Sunday’s huge cup clash.