EAMON O’Carroll insists the Bulls are only focused on Halifax – and not the play-offs. Four straight victories have effectively locked down third place in the Championship with two rounds left. That guarantees a home semi-final in the knock-outs – and the chase is still on to overhaul Toulouse in second.
O’Carroll has challenged his team to hit the play-offs with momentum. And that’s why the only talk this week at Odsal is about overcoming Fax in Sunday’s derby at the Shay. O’Carroll said: “We can’t look at the play-offs.
We’ve got to look at Halifax now. “I think that’s what we’ve done well over the last few weeks. “The play-offs aren’t too far away.
But if we lose sight of the here and now, then we won’t be going into them with any sort of consistency – and it’s important that we are.” A stodgy 16-14 home triumph over Batley at the weekend all but secured a top-three finish with a four-point gap and huge points advantage over nearest rivals Sheffield. But O’Carroll knows Bulls must buck up their ideas to maintain their winning form.
He was encouraged by the muted mood among the players after edging past the Bulldogs. “We’re going to have to be a lot better against Halifax in the derby than what we were on Sunday,” admitted the head coach. “Keep your feet firmly on the ground and stay humble.
Eamon O'Carroll in the changing room after Sunday's win (Image: Tom Pearson) “It’s all right finishing third but you want to go into .