FRANCIS Cummins believes his old club have a great chance of winning promotion – provided all their key men are fit and firing for the Super Eights.

The former Bulls boss spent 21 months in charge at Odsal after being appointed as Mick Potter's successor.

Cummins said: "We don't really know how things are going to pan out under this new structure. But Bradford are a big club again in the division they are in and it's great to see.

"They have got plenty of staff and players, the majority of whom are Super League standard. They have started very well but it's about being fit and healthy come the end of the season.

"Bradford are going to need all their big players available for the Super Eights – but then, so are the Super League sides."

Cummins twice experienced the Odsal club entering administration but remains proud of the work he did, particularly in rebuilding the academy in 2012.

"I fought tooth and nail to make sure that we tried to rebuild the academy after the first administration," he said.

"We had to try and protect that because it's a massive thing and you can see that now with the home-grown players in the team and the young lads who played for us on loan.

"The pleasing bit for me is that I'm bumping into these players now and they're building their careers.

"At Leeds I see lads like Liam Sutcliffe and Jordan Baldwinson, who came to Bradford and did a good job for us.

"Joe Philbin, who had a loan spell with us last season, is now a first-team regular at Warrington, while James Saltonstall is doing really well at Halifax.

"I'm watching these lads develop and it's great to see."