BRADFORD Bulls will go into Sunday’s Betfred Championship home play-off against Featherstone Rovers on a high after a 50-0 demolition of Swinton Lions at the weekend at the Bartercard Odsal Stadium.

Bulls head coach Eamon O’Carroll said: “It was a really professional performance by the group.

"I was really happy with our attitude, particularly our defensive attitude, and our intent.

“We needed a game like that that was really tough and physical, and we have had two games like that now (including the loss the previous weekend to Halifax).

"That is what you need going into the play-offs.

“There were parts of our game where we were a bit erratic and loose, and we lacked patience at times, and we need to cut those things out.

"But they were not as prominent as the good parts were, and it was important to reinforce that.”

Eamon O'Carroll liked what he saw yesterday, as Bulls went into the play-offs off the back of a big win.Eamon O'Carroll liked what he saw yesterday, as Bulls went into the play-offs off the back of a big win. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

O’Carroll will be hoping Bulls can iron out the struggles they had at both the beginning and end of the game ahead of the huge game against Featherstone.

He said: “We lacked patience in our first three or four sets, and that was also true of the back end of the game, where we brought some players on and took Jordan Lilley and Zac Fulton off.

“I said to the players at half-time that I wasn't bothered about our attack, I was bothered about our defence, regardless of who was playing and in what position.

"I thought our attitude to defend was really good in the game.

“Swinton broke us on a play, but everyone ran back to defend, although we gave a penalty away.

"Remember that we were a lot of points up, and yet we looked really connected in that regard.”

The Bulls ended up with nine tries, with Franklin Pele getting a hat-trick, including taking about half the Swinton team over the line with him for his third try.

Max Lehmann added a brace, one of his tries coming from a risky pass from man-of-the-match Tom Holmes near his own line that ended with Lehmann running 100 metres to score.

The other tries came from Holmes, Kieran Gill, Logan Bayliss and Jayden Myers, with Jordan Lilley adding six goals and Jarrod Sammut one.

Swinton will now face a promotion/relegation play-off against a team from League 1 on Sunday, October 13.

That play-off game will be against Keighley or Hunslet, with those two sides meeting at Cougar Park this coming Sunday in the League 1 play-off final.

If Swinton win that game in two weeks, they will stay up, but Keighley or Hunslet will replace them in the Championship if they claim victory instead.