BRADFORD Bulls centre Joe Arundel admits the team would have lost Sunday’s game against Halifax by 30 points a few weeks ago.

But with a reinvigorated Bulls side five unbeaten since the departure of head coach Mark Dunning at the start of May, the Odsal outfit are made of sterner stuff now under Lee Greenwood and Brian Noble, who will be taking charge for the rest of 2023.

Losing 22-14 and staring down the barrel of their first Betfred Championship defeat in six weeks, Bradford fought back to claim a draw against Fax, keeping them fifth in the table and just a point off the top four.

Arundel said: “A few weeks ago, we’d have lost that by 30 points.

“But the mindset has changed, we’re really having a dig for each other and we’re training hard.

“We’re doing the bits we should be doing to make a difference to help us towards that end goal of the Million Pound Game.”

Former Halifax man Arundel was an interested observer last year when Bulls slumped to a dreadful ninth-place finish.

But both they and fellow under-achievers Sheffield are looking good for a play-off finish in 2023, with the centre saying: “Not being at Bradford last season, but keeping an eye on the results, you’ve seen how they’ve struggled in recent years, but this year we’re there or thereabouts.

“The CEO and the board have made some good signings, we’ve got a good squad, and it’s something to push for.

“Sheffield and Halifax are up there with us, Widnes and London have had some great results too, so it’s a close Championship.

“It’s one of the best leagues going at the minute, where anyone can win on the day.”

Arundel scored against his old side on Sunday, just months after helping the Panthers finish third in the second-tier.

With a lot of their 2022 roster still in situ at The Shay, did that give the 31-year-old useful inside knowledge at the weekend?

He reflected: “You know what the skills and strengths of those lads are, as well as what they’re going to throw at you.

“They’re a good team are Halifax, and if you give them too much ball, they’ll score points, because that’s what they do.

“They’ll be up there at the end of the year, so it’s good for us to get this result.

“It was a good game, and it’s a stepping stone in the right direction, so hopefully we can keep building.”

Arundel started all of Bulls’ opening eight league games, before injury ruled him out for a month and a half.

But he returned in the win over Newcastle at the start of this month, and is pleased with his progress.

He said: “I think I’ve been back for three or four weeks now, and to be fair I did get a decent run of games at the start.

“Obviously tearing my hamstring kept me out for a while, which is an injury I’ve never had before as I didn’t think I was fast enough.

“It’s good to be back playing and hopefully I can build some consistency.

“That’s not easy, as the halves and back row keep changing on the right-hand side due to injuries, so it’s just a case of working in training to get some combinations going.

“Then hopefully we can get that consistent right edge for a little bit.”