Marshall: We must end losing streak

Halifax coach Richard Marshall wants a positive response from his players after losing four games in a row, most recently suffering a 48-28 defeat at home to Sheffield Eagles.

“We need to pick ourselves up. We’re in a different competition now and there are some good teams in it like Sheffield last week and Bradford this week, who are probably the favourites,” he said.

“We need to start working harder for each other and get to grips with this competition. Our defence isn’t good enough at the moment, we’re conceding far too many points.

“A win changes everything, the whole confidence mentality, so that’s what we’ll be looking to do this week. It’s going to be difficult going over to Odsal but we’ve got a good record there.”

The Bulls might be sitting above Halifax in the Championship Shield table but Bradford coach Rohan Smith has admitted they are a dangerous side.

“I’ve watched quite a bit of Halifax and re-visited our last match against them as well, where we let ourselves down defensively,” he said.

“I thought we overcame the wrestle last time but we didn’t get rewarded with any penalties.

“Halifax are a good team and I appreciate the way they go about their game, particularly in attack. I think they play a little bit differently to other teams.

“Last year they showed up a few big teams with the way they played footy, so I’ve got a lot of respect for the way they play the game and we’re going to have to be good next week.”