Bradford Bulls will aim to strike an important psychological blow when they take on St Helens in a potential play-off dress rehearsal tomorrow night.

With a six-point gap separating them both from third-placed Halifax, they are favourites to claim the final couple of top-five spots, but whoever wins the Knowsley Road showdown will gain a vital edge in the bid for home advantage when they meet again in the make or break (fourth v fifth) elimination semi-final in October.

However, coach Matthew Elliott knows that, despite a much-improved showing against Hull last week, an even bigger effort will be needed to come away with two crucial points.

"We need to be really focused on how we handle them," he stressed. "If you are not at your best against them someone will take off and you will get punished. They have a lot of dangerous players.

"It's good to be going into the game on a positive note after the victory over Hull. There were signs in that game that we are back to something like our best, but we saw those signs against Huddersfield and Leeds and then it went on vacation. We can't afford to take those things for granted."

Everything points to another intriguing battle with Saints boss Shaun McRae eager to go out on a high note after the club's decision not to renew his contract at the end of this season.

"Shaun will have done his homework on us," said Elliott. "We have played each other a lot over the last few seasons, and they will have a game plan that they feel will beat us. But we have worked out how we can beat them, and I think it will be a good match on the drawing board as well as on the pitch."

Elliott has added Brian McDermott to the 17 on duty last week, although he gives a late fitness test to centre Nathan McAvoy.

The £140,000 buy from Salford has been suffering with an ankle injury, but Elliott said: "He was running OK at training yesterday and it looks as though he will come through in time."

St Helens team manager Eric Hughes is pre-paring to fly to Australia as the former Super League champions step up their search for a new coach.

Saints are casting the net far and wide as they look to replace McRae. Last week, the club were turned down by Sheffield Eagles boss John Kear and have been increasingly linked with former Great Britain coach Ellery Hanley, who has set up home in Australia.

"We don't feel there is a need to rush, but we're a top club and we can't drag our feet. The season has only six or seven weeks to go," said Hughes.

Bulls (from): Spruce, Vaikona, Calland, McAvoy, Scales, Bradley, Paul, Deacon, McDermott, Lowes, Harmon, Reihana, Forshaw, Knox, McNamara, Medley, Crouthers, Fielden.

St Helens (from): Atcheson, C Smith, D Smith, Newlove, Sullivan, Martyn, Long, Perelini, Cunningham, O'Neill, Joynt, Davidson, Sculthorpe. Hammmond, Goldspink, Pickavance, Anderson.

Referee: Stuart Cummings (Widnes).

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.