EVEN though Bradford have suffered a tough couple of Super League years, there’s still something a bit special about hosting the Bulls.

And I think we’re all pretty excited about facing them at the Galpharm this weekend.

That’s partly because we’re sitting second in the table, but also due to the fact the Bulls look as if they’re on their way back and could be emerging as a major top-flight force once again.

As a result, Sunday’s game has all the makings of being a classic encounter.

It’s pretty clear new Bulls coach Mick Potter has wasted little time putting his stamp on the side, and we know they’re going to be very tough to beat.

Their new half-back, Marc Herbert, has immediately come in and given them more direction, while Brett Kearney and Shad Royston look like they’re a major attacking threat.

On top of that, their pack isn’t lacking any real punch, and there’s no question they’ll be up for the challenge.

But they know we’ll be ready and waiting!

Although we weren’t at our very best at Quins last Friday, we dug tremendously deep against a very committed side, and it’s going to take a very similar effort this weekend.

We just hope, of course, that we can show a bit more on attack, because if we do then we could really enjoy ourselves!

No-one needed telling after the Quins game that our execution let us down, and if we can sort that out and build on the excellent platform our forwards are giving us then we’ll certainly give the Bulls some problems.

Our pack definitely took some stopping down in the capital, with David Fa’alogo and Luke O’Donnell right at the heart of the success.

But it was just as encouraging to see the way young Jonny Molloy played on his debut.

He’s not the biggest forward in the world, but he’s as tough as they come and very aggressive, and there’s no doubt that if he continues to work hard in training, we’ll be seeing a fair bit more of him in the months ahead.

A LOT of people believe we lead an incredibly glamorous lifestyle because we’re professional sportsmen.

But that theory was knocked well and truly on the head during the trip to Harlequins.

There’s certainly nothing glamorous, for instance, about having to travel back on a bus straight after the game and not arriving back in Huddersfield until 5am on Saturday morning before making your own way back to your house.

And there’s definitely nothing glamorous about having to share a hotel room the day before a game with Jammer (Jamahl Lolesi)!

Even though his role at the club is a little different at the moment, helping to mentor the younger members of the squad as he continues to recover from major back surgery, he still spends most of the night snoring his head off, which I didn’t exactly find ideal the day before a game.

Thankfully, it didn’t prevent me leading out a side that dug really deep to win at The Stoop.

But if things hadn’t gone according to plan, at least I know who I could have blamed!