BRADFORD Bulls head coach Eamon O'Carroll has been delighted with the reaction of his players after last week's disappointment at Barrow.

The Odsal side threw away a 24-8 lead in the last quarter of the contest as they had to settle for just one point in Cumbria.

However, after reflection at their training base this week, the Bulls boss has seen some positive signs.

He said: "It's been a really big week for us.

"Of course, Monday was obviously tough and there was a huge hangover there on Tuesday, and I felt like I wanted to get my hands on the lads on Wednesday and get training straight away.

"It was important for us to hold onto the pain from Sunday, but more in terms of letting it fuel us.

"We had a really positive meeting on Wednesday where we re-emphasised some of the things that we spoke about at the beginning of the year, on why we want to be successful and how lucky we are to play for a club like Bradford.

"It was important that we reinforced that message."

He followed up: "We've added ten players since we held that first meeting before the start of the new season, so it was a good chance for some of the newer boys to say a few words in regard to what they want to achieve with the club in the last eight matches.

"The messages were powerful from the individuals that spoke, but talk is cheap and it's up to us to go and prove it on the pitch.

"Although it's been a challenging couple of weeks, I feel like the last two games were the best thing that could have happened to us because we've still got a lot to fight for in the final stretch."

Looking ahead to today's contest with Whitehaven at Odsal, O'Carroll said: "At the moment, we are probably a team that people would like to play.

"They know that if we are on our A-game then we will be a very difficult team to play against, but they'll also know that they can hurt is if we aren't.

"That's something that we want to address and put right in these next eight games - starting this Sunday.

"Whitehaven are fighting for survival, so they'll be right up for it.

"We need to make sure that we stick to our gameplan and punish them when we can."