STEVE Crossley hopes his fellow Bulls prop Ebon Scurr remains at the club next season, despite the alleged interest of more than one Super League side.

The talented youngster is currently out of contract, and no announcement has been made on where he will be next year, with the likes of Hull and St Helens reportedly sniffing around.

But his departure is by no means guaranteed, and the Bulls skipper is one of those desperate to keep him in Bradford.

Crossley said: “If it wasn’t for his injury problems last season, I think Ebon probably would have won the Championship Young Player of the Year award he was nominated for.

“He raised our expectations of him and when he was selected, he made a great impact off the bench.

“He gives everyone a lift with the little things he does, like making two carries in a set for example, and he causes real damage in the opposition’s defence.

“I thought he was unlucky to fall short of winning that award but I’m more excited now about next year, as hopefully he can have a full year with us to show what he’s made of.”

If Scurr does stay, the competition in the prop department will be fierce next season, with himself, Crossley, Ant Walker, Samy Kibula and Jordan Baldwinson all potentially vying for the two starting spots.

Asked if he was worried his game time might be reduced in 2022, Crossley said: “The situation at prop is looking good for next year.

“I have it in my head whenever I go out on to the field that, whether I’ve been selected to start or not, I’ll put in my all.

“Pre-season starts next week and we need to build that relationship up from then, as fellow props, to try and ensure we have a good season.”

Crossley admitted it had been a hellishly long couple of years for himself and his team-mates, saying: “We pretty much trained for two years straight.

“We trained as normal ahead of the 2020 season and were always going back when we could between lockdowns after the Covid pandemic hit.

“Then we were expecting to be involved in that winter league competition that never got off the ground, before having to get ready for the 2021 season.

“I see it as burnout really, both mentally and physically, so it’s good to have had this long break after the Batley play-off defeat until next week.”

Speaking of the campaign just gone, Crossley said: “On the whole, I thought the season went well, and we accomplished what we set out to in pre-season.

“Given how we showed up in pre-season and in the opening day defeat to Sheffield, we did well to go on that decent run (of seven wins in a row).

“We were targeting a top-three finish and would have got it if we’d won any of our last three games.

“If you include the Batley game, we lost our last four, but after such a long season, I think we did just burn out in the end.

“It was disappointing to lose in the first round of the play-offs, but you have to credit Batley, I thought they played great on the day to beat us.

“Toulouse and Featherstone were flying high all season to be fair, so they were always the most likely pair to be in the Million Pound Game.”