Bulls chairman Chris Caisley has spelled out the importance of Sunday's showdown with Wigan, stressing it will make or break their efforts to claim their third top spot finish in four years.

The Warriors are two points ahead of last season's beaten Grand Finalists but the Bulls have a vastly superior scoring difference and would leapfrog their opponents if they come away from the JJB Stadium with the points.

"A lot is talked about games being four-pointers but this one certainly is," said Caisley. "If we win I firmly believe we will finish top."

In the event of a Bulls victory, a win by St Helens over Salford at Knowsley Road earlier in the day will put Saints back on top.

But Caisley says: "Saints still have Wigan and Leeds to play and I would fancy us to get enough points in the bag from our last three games to pip them for top spot."

Conversely Caisley believes defeat for the Bulls against Wigan will end their hopes of a week off prior to the play-offs.

"It would put us four points behind them and I don't see Wigan allowing us to get back in the picture if that were the case.

"It means that Sunday's game is crucial for us. Defeat obviously wouldn't mean we had no chance in the play-offs but I always think scoring psychological blows at this stage is so important.

"We need to move up a few gears on recent performances but I am confident we can do that."

Meanwhile the Bulls will report a post-tax profit of 6,052 for the year ending in December 1999 to shareholders at the club's Annual General Meeting at Odsal tonight (7.00pm).

It compares with a loss of £264,892 for the previous year. Turnover was also up slightly to £3,758,448.

But Caisley says in his annual report: "The marginal increase in turnover of a little over 2% has brought into sharp focus once more the need to resolve finally, the uncertainty which has surrounded the development of Odsal Stadium over several years.

"If the club is to continue to compete at the very highest level in our sport we are going to have to greatly increase turnover and profitability.

"This cannot be done without the necessary tools, ie top class facilities, and it is therefore not surprising that, once again, the proposed development takes centre stage as we enter the new Millennium."