KURT HAGGERTY has insisted that it hasn’t been difficult to keep his Bradford Bulls players motivated, despite seemingly having little to play for.
The Bulls have fallen to the bottom of Super League following a run of bad form, culminating in their 62-10 defeat to Leigh Leopards on Friday night, combined with Huddersfield Giants’ recent resurgence.
The Bulls have suffered numerous injuries this season and they suffered four more on Friday night.
Halfback Joe Keyes, who has missed most of the season with a back injury, came off at half-time with a recurrence of that problem.
Prop Loghan Lewis suffered another knee injury, winger Ethan Ryan broke a thumb, while backrower Dan Russell failed a head-injury assessment. In addition, Zac Fulton pulled out ahead of the match with a neck problem, which is likely to see him miss the final three rounds of the season.
Haggerty will struggle to name 17 fit players for this week’s trip to Toulouse, although he believes his players are ready to compete regardless of the unprecedented injury crisis.
“It’s probably not as difficult as people think to keep players motivated,” Haggerty said.
“When you play teams like Wigan, Leigh or Toulouse, when you’re feeling sorry for yourself they will stamp all over your throat and they won’t feel sorry for you.
“You’ve got to be ready to win. We’ve got to prepare physically and mentally to be ready every week because if you don’t then it’s obvious what will happen when you feel sorry for yourself.
“We don’t want the tag of finishing bottom but all the injuries have thrown everyone off.
“There have been no shocks for me as a head coach, though I am still struggling to get my head around the injuries.”