Brian Noble leads his troops into battle tomorrow and today sounded a battle cry: "This is a war between two great rugby league cities."

The Bradford boss also hailed tomorrow's derby clash - in which a victory for the Bulls would secure the Minor Premiership - as "the biggest game in rugby league".

He said: "Intense competition and rivalry exists between the two cities - it's all about local pride and, thankfully, at the moment we've got the ascendancy.

"But things can change very quickly, so we need to stay focused on the game and not on the emotion surrounding it.

"We know we are in for a tough match but this is a really, really tough game for Leeds because they need to win it to ensure their top-two place.

"Since I was playing, these games against Leeds haven't changed in the slightest. They are still great fixtures in the calendar and as a Bradford player, it wouldn't matter what was going on in the season - beating Leeds was all-important to us."

As the Bulls aim to smash the Super League attendance record tomorrow, Noble saluted the huge crowds which have backed Super League - and the Bulls in particular - this season.

He said: "The crowds have been great this season and rugby league at the moment is superb to watch. It has everything - controlled violence, excitement, speed, skill, size, agility and dexterity. It's got all the components you need for a great spectator sport."

Noble added: "Games like this raise the profile of the sport and of both clubs. Add to the fact that Leeds and Bradford are two big cities, and we are still trying to get more people to attend, then I hope that in a few years' time, we are getting 50,000 crowds."

The Bulls boss warned that top spot is far from guaranteed, saying: "Nothing is set in tablets of stone and mathematically we can still finish third.

"We are in top spot at the moment and it's our ambition to stay there. The reality is that this is just another stepping stone.

"If we finish second, we've still got everything to play for and we know that the play-offs and the Grand Final are more important to us than finishing top.

"There's been twists and turns all season and little teams have beaten the top teams and if you finish sixth, you can still win the Grand Final, but we just need to finish as high as we can."