Steve McNamara has backed treble Player of the Year winner Andy Lynch to now shine on the international stage.

The front-rower has been outstanding for the Bulls this season, a fact highlighted by his haul at the club's presentation night on Monday.

Lynch took home the Players' Player, BISA Player and Supporters Player of the Year awards, with Best Forward thrown in for good measure.

Having impressed in his debut season last year following a move from Castleford, the no-nonsense prop has taken his game to a new level again in 2006 and established himself as the Bulls' main front-line enforcer.

With Stuart Fielden departing mid-season, the club have been short on options at times in the middle, with youngsters like Sam Burgess, Matt James and Craig Kopczak all filling the void.

But ever-present England international Lynch has grown in stature and accepted the added responsibility heaped upon him to continue setting the lead.

He is the third best go-forward player in Super League, according to OPTA stats. Lynch drove a massive 3,180 metres for the Bulls during the regular season, with only Castleford prop Danny Nutley (3,231) and Salford flier David Hodgson (3,227) ahead of him in the rankings.

With his offload game also among one of the best - 53 in total - and being so solid defensively, he has matured into a genuine force.

McNamara admitted: "Andy Lynch has been immense all year in terms of the metres he makes and the game time he is now playing for us.

"The way in which he has fronted up after both Jamie Peacock and Fielden left has been a real credit to himself and the club. He is very, very important to us and made some huge strides.

"I know he'd gone up a level last year, only to miss out on the semi-final and Grand Final, but he's bounced back brilliantly and I think he has to be on that plane for Great Britain now."

While Fielden is nailed on as one of Brian Noble's props for the Gillette Tri-Nations Series and Adrian Morley - the man who kept Lynch out of the Bradford side at the death last season - as well, there are opportunities for others to force themselves in.

St Helens youngster James Graham is likely to make the cut after a rip-roaring debut against New Zealand in June but Lynch will have his eye on the final slot.

He is in the train-on squad and Noble is a big fan, so Lynch will now look for an eye-catching finale in the play-offs to force the coach's hand.

McNamara has already spoken of Langley's impact after he took the Prize Bull and T&A Player of the Year awards, while the loose forward also notched Top Tackler for his 763 hits - sixth highest in the entire competition and an average of 29 per match.

"We asked Langers to take a step up from last season in light of some key back-row personnel leaving, and he had some big shoes to fill, but he's done it magnificently and been a real class act," said McNamara.

And the coach praised Best Back winner Marcus Bai for the manner in which the veteran Papuan has performed since joining from Leeds last winter.

"He's like a fine wine - Marcus just keeps getting better with age," said McNamara, after the 34-year-old answered his critics with 12 tries in 23 games.

"His performances this season have been consistently high and he finishes tries in tight positions that other people just wouldn't be able to get.

"Marcus beats himself up if he comes up with any sort of error, he is really tough on himself, but the amount of work he does for us is phenomenal.

"When he was out injured for eight weeks earlier in the year, we did really miss him and it's great to have him back now. We're delighted he's also agreed to play on for another season."

Meanwhile, there was a special presentation at the Cedar Court Hotel to Trevor Ward, son of former Bradford and Great Britain captain Ernest, to mark his father's induction in the Bradford Bulls/Northern Hall of Fame.