KIERAN Gill took his family to Legoland yesterday, and the Bulls centre admits the break he and his team-mates have had this week has been “massive”.

But you can guarantee that he would rather be at Wembley this afternoon, where Wakefield are taking on Sheffield in the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup final.

Bulls faced Trinity in the semis at Odsal, and after grafting their way to a shock half-time lead, they were blown away after the break to lose 40-14.

Gill admitted to the T&A: “It’s heartbreaking to not be at Wembley ourselves.

“We put so much into the competition and we said before the start of the season how much we wanted to make the final, then win the whole thing.

“It was one of our goals going into 2024, and we trained as hard as we could ahead of that semi-final against Wakefield.

“We put 110 per cent in that day and I’m proud of the effort we produced.

“We can’t changed what happened in that semi-final, but we know we’ve got next year to try and win it again.

“Hopefully the heartbreak of that defeat and not being at Wembley this weekend can spur us on for the rest of the league season too.”

It has been up-and-down for Bulls in the league since that semi-final loss, with a brilliant win over Sheffield followed by a sloppy defeat to Batley and an ugly victory over Barrow.

Zac Fulton scored in this excellent win for Bulls over high-flying Sheffield, but the result has not been the catalyst for greater things since.Zac Fulton scored in this excellent win for Bulls over high-flying Sheffield, but the result has not been the catalyst for greater things since. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

That kind of run has been typical of Bradford’s Betfred Championship campaign so far, with Gill admitting: “Our lack of consistency shows just how much of a rollercoaster this league is.

“You have to be on point, week in, week out, and even a 10-minute lapse within a game can cost you.

“We’ve spoken a lot about needing to put in those 80-minute performances to win more games, because looking at the table currently, we’re not where we want to be.

“We’ll keep moving forward, and focus on getting the two points each week to make sure we reach the play-offs at the end of the season.”

Bulls would have been hoping to be sat higher than sixth in the Championship after 10 games, but they are only three points off second-placed Widnes.

With the exception of leaders Wakefield, who are proving to be vastly superior to the rest of the competition, the top sides seem very evenly-matched this year, and that runners-up spot, and a kind play-off draw, looks to be up for grabs.

Gill knows second spot is within Bradford’s reach, and he said: “Our goal is to finish second but we’ve got to be on form each week to achieve that.

“But whether you’re sat second or 14th, it’s a fight between the two sides out on the pitch every game.

“As I’ve said, it’s an 80-minute match each week so you have to complete high and not slack off at any point.

“We know we’re capable of that, but we have to start showing it on the field.

“We’re feeling refreshed after this week off and we know what we need to do now in the second half of the season.”

The competitive campaign started on the first weekend of February for Bulls and might not end until mid-October.

Unsurprisingly, Gill said: “This week off we’ve got at the moment is massive.

“It’s basically the only one we’ve got, so it’s been nice to have some down time and to refresh.

“Playing rugby league takes you away from your family a lot of the time and you do miss out on parts of life.

“I’m usually training three or four times a week before games, so it’s nice to have some respite for seven days.

“But once we’re all back in on Monday, our full focus will be on the game against Whitehaven next Sunday.”