THERE were many things that contributed to our fantastic win at Bradford Bulls last weekend.

And right up there has to be our levels of fitness.

It’s something fans have particularly noticed over the past few weeks, starting with our Easter Monday home win over Hull FC, then the Cup game against them at the KC Stadium, followed by the trip to the Bulls.

On all three occasions, the opening halves have been closely-fought affairs, with little to choose between ourselves and our opponents. But after the break, it’s been a totally different story.

Having eventually got the better of the early arm-wrestle, we’ve cut loose and our opponents haven’t been able to live with us.

We’ve won the energy battles hands-down, and that’s been reflected in the final margin of victory.

And, take it from me, it’s certainly no fluke we’ve come out on top in this particular area. I’ve got the mental scars of a tough pre-season to show for it!

In recent seasons, we’ve been incredibly fortunate to have worked with some top conditioners who are right at the top of our game.

Under Nathan Brown, we’ve had Mark ‘Bumper’ Andrews, Paul Watson and now Greg Brown.

They’ve all brought their own unique style to the discipline, and that’s helped result in is a winning conditioning combination for Huddersfield Giants.

As a result, our fitness levels are now as good as they’ve ever been.

That gives us even more confidence when we go into games, because we know that if we are involved in a real midfield slog, we should have that extra gear to find if required.

It was certainly the case at Bradford last Sunday.

Even though the Bulls gave it a really good shot early on, at no stage did we feel under any real pressure.

The conditions were awful. As those who were there knew only too well – and let me say a massive ‘thank you’ to our fantastic supporters who did come out in good numbers on such a filthy day – it was absolutely bucketing it down and made the pitch a mudbath, which made playing our naturally expansive game almost impossible.

But we still had the required qualities to get the job done and come away with another rock-solid success.

It’s a phrase I seem to be saying quite a lot at the moment – and I hope I’ll keep on saying it for many more months to come!