BRADFORD BULLS skipper Michael Lawrence says Brian Noble’s side must get used to being the team everyone wants to beat.
One of the game’s fallen giants, the Yorkshire club have made no secret of their desire to return to Super League.
They last played there in 2014, and after plunging down to League One amid major financial issues, are now a genuine Championship force.
A close-season recruitment drive put them firmly among the favourites for second-tier success.
And their stock rose when they dumped top-flight Castleford from the Challenge Cup with an 18-16 home third-round victory, part of an opening run of five straight wins in all competitions.
The Bulls, of course, are once again bossed by Noble, the man who took them to domestic and World Club Challenge glory in the first half of the noughties.
And while times have changed, forward Lawrence, the former Huddersfield stalwart who is now in his third season at Bradford, believes their coach’s rich experience will help keep them focused firmly on the present.
After a blip at Toulouse, who were comfortable 36-4 winners, the Bulls’ hopes of taking a second Super League scalp after Castleford were scuppered at Salford, who were 26-16 home victors in round four of the Challenge Cup.
But Bradford have the chance to bounce back when they take on Barrow at Bartercard Odsal on Friday evening.
“We all want success and to play a part in helping get this club back to the top level,” said 34-year-old Lawrence, who these days plays in the front row.
“But we all know the Championship is a really tough competition which throws up all sorts of tests.
“There’s the preparation side as a part-time player, the travel, and different kinds of pitches.
“We’re certainly not arrogant in any way, but we know that because we are Bradford, everyone wants to knock us over, and we have to deal with that.”
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