GEORGE Flanagan has admitted that Bradford Bulls were “way off the mark” in their Betfred Challenge Cup defeat to Widnes Vikings on Sunday.

Reflecting on the 26-12 fourth-round setback, which was their first competitive loss under new coach Eamon O’Carroll, the 37-year-old hooker said: “I thought that it was a game that we should have won, although I will have to look back at it on video.

“Widnes were the better team over the 80 minutes, but the second half was more disappointing. We spoke about our discipline and error count at half-time and we took our foot off the gas.

“The ruck speed favoured them, and it is something that we will look at going forward.

“We had a lot of opportunities in the first half but our execution was lacking. You can sugar coat things as a rugby league player sometimes, but we were way off the mark.”

Ironically, proud Bradfordian Flanagan thinks that the Bulls’ good pre-match preparation worked against them.

He said: “We trained really well all week, and trained well on Friday night, but sometimes that can have a negative effect on the game, and that was the case here.”

The Bulls twice had a man advantage after Lloyd Roby and Rhodri Lloyd were sin-binned, but they failed to take advantage of having greater numbers, and their discipline and ruck sped was also lacking.

Flanagan said: “I spoke to some of our playmakers after the game and we didn’t post any points when they were twice down to 12 men and we need to address that, and I am pretty certain that the staff will put on a video for us and we will address it.

“We majored on discipline and ruck speed in the week leading up to the game, but the most disappointing this is the loss and not getting into the next round.

“We want to make Odsal a fortress this season and we need to address this performance going forward because we cannot come up with that, especially at home for our supporters.

“It looked like Widnes had more energy than us at the end, but if you get the ruck speed right and they have set after set after set then it takes it’s toll on you in the end.

“However, it is the first time that we have lost as a group and I am sure that you will see a reaction to that.”

The good thing is that the Bulls have an opportunity to put things right on Sunday when they face Swinton Lions at Odsal in a quarter-final of the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup.

Flanagan confessed about the Widnes loss: “It is hard to say what went right, but the players will take ownership of it and we have a great opportunity this weekend in another cup game. We hope to put a few wrongs right.”

The Bulls will be without the suspended Eribe Doro, but the prop limped off anyway after 20 minutes with an ankle injury that will keep him out for longer than his two-week ban as he had his foot kin a boot and was on crutches after the game.

Flanagan said: ““Eribe has been one of our most consistent players and it was disappointing to lose him and disruptive to lose him so early.

“We have a few niggly injuries and a few absentees who would be in the team on paper, but that is rugby league and every rugby league player steps up whether they are injured or not, and I thought that some of the young lads, such as Jayden Myers and Billy Jowitt, really stepped up.

“George Taufua is up there week in, week out and puts us on the front foot, Mitch (Souter, who, like Doro, starts a two-game suspension this weekend) had another good game for us, while Jordan Lilley is a little general for us and John Davies played well too, but we want the result rather than picking the man of the match.”