FOR the vast majority of his time as a Bulls first-team player, Adam O’Brien has effectively been behind Heath L’Estrange and Matt Diskin in the pecking order.

He made his debut as a 17-year-old at Huddersfield in March 2011 but towards the end of last season he emerged as the club's first-choice number nine.

After Jimmy Lowes took over in June, he told O’Brien he wanted him to start playing 80 minutes in the pivotal hooking role.

Thus O’Brien played the full 80 in four successive games, a sequence which included notable wins over Wigan, Leeds and Hull FC.

With L’Estrange having headed home at the end of 2013 and Diskin’s constant injuries leading him to retirement at the end of 2014, O’Brien’s role has now reversed.

He is no longer the aspiring youngster looking up to his seniors – he is the club’s senior hooker and rookies Nathan Conroy and Vila Halafihi look up to him.

O’Brien said: “It feels strange to hear people say I’m the senior hooker because I’m only 21 and still young.

“It’s good for me to have Nathan and Vila looking up to me but we actually work off each other.

“If they want a bit of help or I need some help then we can bounce off each other.

“It’s not a case of people saying ‘you’re number one hooker’ because I don’t think it works like that.

“We’re all equal and fighting for that number one spot; it’s just I’ve got a bit of age on them.

“Everyone starts on a level footing pre-season anyway and we’ve got a massive squad now with Jimmy bringing so many players in.

“We’re all fighting for a spot and there are three or four players for each position.

“Everyone is on a level par and that’s why this period is so important in terms of trying to establish yourself in the side.”

Conroy has been an impressive performer in the Under-19s in the last couple of seasons, being rewarded with a first-team debut in the win over Huddersfield on the last day of the 2013 season.

The local lad did not see much first-team action last term but, like O’Brien, he is highly regarded and progressed through the Bulls’ academy system.

Then there is former Leeds academy regular Halafihi, who has arrived fresh from a year with Penrith’s Under-20s and is said to have impressed during pre-season training.

Lowes is certainly not short of options in the hooking department.

O’Brien added: “I didn’t really know Vila with me being a bit older and having never seen him play.

“But I heard good reviews of him when I signed and so far in pre-season he has done really well.

“I get on well with him and the banter flies around. We're good mates and I think he’s dealt with coming over from Australia well.

“I’ve always had someone in front of me but this year I’m on my own.

“I’m the one for everyone to look up to so I’ve got to be on top of my game because I’ve got those two coming through.

“I’ve just got to progress now, hopefully get into the starting team and then push on for the rest of the year.”

Lowes’ desire for his hookers to play the full 80 minutes has raised the question about whether the Bulls will even need a back-up nine on the bench next season.

O’Brien, having risen to the challenge so successfully last season, is up for it again.

The Halifax lad said: “I think I dealt with it pretty well at the end of last year and now I want to see if I can do it for the whole season.

“With a good pre-season behind me and some good performances in the friendlies, hopefully I can do it for the year.

“It’s a challenge that Jimmy put on me when he took over and it’s one I’m definitely up for again. I’m looking forward to it.”

Encouragingly for O’Brien, Conroy and Halafihi, having Lowes as boss can only aid their progress.

The head coach enjoys legendary status at Odsal from his spell as the club’s indomitable hooker during the club’s glory days.

O’Brien, who served his scholarship at Wigan before joining Bradford as a 16-year-old, signed a new two-year deal in the wake of the Bulls’ relegation.

He said: “Jimmy was a brilliant hooker and having him as my coach is massive for me.

“I’ve still got a lot to learn from Jimmy about moving out of dummy half.

“All the tips I’ve learnt from Heath and Diskin I have tried to pass on to Vila and Nathan.

“We bounce off each other, there is plenty of input, but at the end of the day it’s a competition to get that number nine jersey.”