Gaskell fit and firing for Bradford’s Qualifiers campaign

Bradford Bulls star Lee Gaskell is keen to take the positives from his recent injury lay off, as he and his teammates prepare for the start of their Super 8s Qualifiers campaign this weekend.

Gaskell hasn’t played since suffering a broken jaw in the Bulls’ 72-6 win over Doncaster in June, but insists he is feeling good, with his sights firmly set on promotion.

“I’m clear of the injury now,” said the 24-year-old, “It’s been a frustrating seven weeks but I’m just looking forward to getting back into it all against Sheffield.

“I’ve been fit for a week or two now and getting into full contact stuff, but I’ve been training with the boys pretty much since I got the injury. With it being a broken jaw I’ve been able to run and keep my fitness up.

“Fitness-wise, it’s probably the best I’ve felt this season. It’s a long season and that break has almost been a positive for me.

“Obviously you want to avoid injuries, but I can use it as a good thing. My body feels good after what has basically been a mini pre-season and it almost feels like a new season for me now. Hopefully I can pick up from where I left off now.”

The Bulls have failed to win four of their last five games, but Gaskell still has every confidence the former World Club Champions can return to the top tier at the first attempt.

“We’ve had a bit of a blip over the last few weeks,” admitted the 2011 Super League Grand Finalist.

“But we’ve been making simple, unforced errors which are easy to fix up.

“Our performances haven’t been overly poor so there’s no major concerns for us. We just have to be switched on week in, week out from now on.

“The Super 8s is going to be a real high quality competition and I’m really looking forward to it.”