OF all the positives to emerge from Sunday’s thumping win at Featherstone, one thing stood out more than most.

The strength and depth of the Bulls’ squad.

A 30-strong group is steadily evolving into a settled side, a well-motivated force whose performances have got better with each game this season.

Forget the standard of the officiating against Leigh, the Bulls were second-best in that second half.

They rectified that with a routine win over Whitehaven before taking Featherstone to the cleaners last weekend.

It is worth remembering that Rovers are highly fancied to claim a top-four finish this season at the end of the regular 23 rounds.

Even in the opening 20 minutes on Sunday, they dominated possession and asked some serious questions of the Bulls’ defence.

Yet Jimmy Lowes’ men stood firm.

They put their bodies on the line and defended like demons to keep the hosts at bay.

What happened in the next 60 minutes was quite stunning at times.

The Bulls reduced Featherstone to so much rubble that it was not even a serious content by the end.

When even those rain-soaked Rovers supporters behind the posts applauded Lee Gaskell after he brilliantly ran from deep to claim his second try of the match, it said everything.

It was one of those moments in a game of rugby when you just had to sit back and applaud, no matter what your allegiance.

Every one of those seventeen players on duty last Sunday will have a walked a little taller this week.

Each may feel it harsh if they are not playing again when Hunslet visit Odsal this weekend.

But this is where things are starting to get interesting and where Lowes will have some welcome selection headaches.

Danny Williams is available again this weekend and Harry Siejka will be free to play at Batley next Sunday.

It would be harsh, though, to drop Chris Ulugia after his display against Featherstone.

Ulugia, a softly-spoken character off the field, looked the part on it.

He knocked on close to his line early on and could easily have let his head drop.

Instead, he scored two expertly-taken tries from Adrian Purtell’s smart assists.

Ryan Shaw barely put a foot wrong at full-back and may just be the answer to the Bulls’ goalkicking conundrum.

The Cumbrian kicked six from seven and has a very tidy left foot on him.

Shaw was solid defensively too, making his tackles and also supporting the attack as and when the opportunities arose.

Keeping Shaw at full-back and Jake Mullaney in the halves alongside Gaskell beyond this weekend’s game is something for Lowes to consider.

Jean-Philippe Baile will soon find himself under pressure from Matty Blythe for that right-centre berth, but the Frenchman did just fine last weekend.

Like Gaskell, Purtell looked like a Super League player in the Championship against Featherstone.

They were not the only ones.

Men such as Paul Clough, Adam Sidlow, Adam O’Brien, Jay Pitts and Dale Ferguson also looked a cut above at times.

O’Brien is enjoying a rich vein of form and has started this season how he finished the last.

Playing eighty minutes every week in a notoriously physical league will not be possible.

He will need to be rested at some point, and both Vila Halafihi and Nathan Conroy are waiting patiently for their chance.

That again underlines the possibilities on offer to Lowes.

Take the props at his disposal.

Clough and Sidlow are his first-choice starting pair, that cannot be denied.

But now Epalahame Lauaki is fit and will be pushing to increase his game-time again this weekend, while Samir Tahraoui grew in confidence and influence during last week’s match.

Meanwhile, Dan Fleming is now fit and waiting for an opportunity while Karl ‘The Lumberjack’ Davies is currently recovering from a ligament injury.

Lucas Walshaw has impressed so far this season and, at well over 6ft, seems an ideal fit for the rough and tumble of the Championship.

Chev Walker, the club captain, and Danny Addy, a player regarded very highly by Lowes and normally guaranteed a place when fit, are both out injured right now.

Dave Petersen is also close to being fit again and has said his favourite position is loose forward, but Alex Mellor has begun the season in impressive fashion.

Such a wealth of options is a far cry from last season – when the Bulls struggled to raise a team at times – and is to be welcomed with open arms.