Bulls winger Dave Halley believes Super League can really take off in Wales, having experienced first hand the country’s potential.

Bradford will visit Celtic Crusaders for the first time next season after the Bridgend-based club won a licence to play in the top tier for the next three years.

Wales international Halley, relishing the prospect of new opponents, predicted: “I think they’ll be pretty good.

“It won’t be like days gone by where when a team came up they’d get hammered every week.

“I’ve played and trained with a lot of the Celtic players while on Welsh duty. They’re not the type to give up and it’ll be good to see them in Super League.

“It’s great for Welsh rugby league. This is just what they’ve needed for a while.

“When I’ve been down there you realise it’s all right having a team in Division One but you really need one in Super League.

“They’ve got plenty of good players and experienced ones like Mark Lennon, who was at Cas, while they’ve made plenty of signings.”

There are those who feel the newcomers are doomed for disaster but Halley is confident they can make a stab of life in the big time.

He cites Catalans Dragons – who, despite only being introduced to Super League in 2006 have already appeared in a Challenge Cup final and finished third last season – as an example of what can be done.

Halley said: “That’s what everyone will be aiming for – the same as Catalans. They had a three-year plan and it’s come off.

“Celtic need to raise their profile like Catalans did and improve their fan base. That’s something they haven’t really got yet but once they start getting 1,000 Bulls supporters turning up, it will help get things moving.”

While Bridgend’s gritty Brewery Field will be a new venue for most Bulls players when they head there on July 25, Halley knows it well, having made his try-scoring Welsh debut on the ground against Papua New Guinea last year.

The 22-year-old is excited by the chance to return in club colours and said: “It’s a bit of an old-fashioned stadium and there’s not much scenery but it’ll be good to go.

“When we play at Catalans or in Cardiff, it’s totally different to what we’re used to week in, week out playing teams like Cas and Wigan.

“It’s good to have that variety and there’s more with Edinburgh next year as well. It’s all exciting.”