EAMON O’Carroll insists he does not sense any complacency when the Bulls face the so-called lesser sides in the Championship.

But the Odsal head coach understands that their topsy-turvy results may suggest otherwise.

O’Carroll was livid with his team’s lacklustre display in Sunday’s loss at Batley.

The one-point defeat at a side who claimed only their third win of the season followed similar upsets against Widnes and York.

Coming fresh from impressively shutting down second-placed Sheffield at Odsal the week before, it highlights a weak spot in the Bulls’ mentality which continues to hold them back.

“I don’t get that vibe during the week,” said O’Carroll, when asked about a complacent attitude in the performance. “Our preparation does not change regardless of who we are playing.

“We understand where we are at the minute. It’s about looking at ourselves and backing up performances.

“I still see the same mentality in training but we need to find the reasons why this is happening, because it’s happening too much.

“There are people working here far too hard, whether that’s above me, below me or with me, to be dishing up that.

“If you want to be a top team, top teams back up performances and we’re not doing that. That’s the challenge.

“Maybe that’s on us, maybe we think we’re better than what we are – which is dangerous.

“Batley are a quality group. I said the same against York, I said the same against Widnes.

“Who knows, maybe I’m saying too much but it’s clear when we do as we practise, we value that and go hard at it, we get some great results.

“We go and beat what are seen to be top teams and that’s not being disrespectful to Batley, who are very good.

“Top teams back it up week in, week out regardless of who they’re playing, where they’re playing, what time … that’s what top teams do.”

Having gone 12 points up on the back of two quickfire Zac Fulton tries in the first half, the Bulls still had the chance to win it late on.

But Jordan Lilley fluffed a drop-goal effort to edge them back in front – the third missed one-pointer of the afternoon for the stand-in skipper.

O’Carroll, though, dismissed any suggestion that sneaking the victory would have papered over the cracks from the team’s all-round efforts.

He added: “I just didn’t like the way we went about the game.

“(Conceding) the tries, I thought we stopped some of the transitions. There are people not even in the picture.

“That’s not what we’re about and certainly not what I’m about. That’s unacceptable.

“We don’t practise dropping the ball on the first set but that’s happening far too much now.

“The things I really value about my group are their efforts off the ball, the way they work and the way they turn up for each other. They were non-existent.”

Bulls are monitoring the ankle injury that forced Joe Arundel to go off midway through the first half.