Heath L’Estrange is convinced Bradford’s remarkable Super League season of triumph over adversity will continue when they travel to Warrington for their Challenge Cup fifth-round clash this weekend.
The 26-year-old former Manly and Sydney Roosters NRL hooker saw the administration-threatened Bulls only stay afloat after STG500,000 ($A784,000) was raised by their fans and the wider rugby league community earlier this month.
That same figure is needed again next month if Bradford are to continue to survive but despite such off-field distractions L’Estrange and his teammates haven’t let it affect them on it.
A 20-6 defeat last time out to Super League leaders Huddersfield ended the Bulls’ run of back-to-back wins that saw them take down Widnes and reigning champions Leeds.
And L’Estrange is confident Bradford will return to upsetting the odds when they take on 2010 Challenge Cup winners Warrington on Saturday.
“We are happy with the draw … but it would have been nice to get them at Odsal to help get some more money in,” he said.
“We’ll go there and look to get over them though. Obviously, Warrington are a class side and they will be tough but you have to beat them at some point if you want to go on and win at Wembley.
“We are always confident and the way the boys have been playing recently there is no reason not to be excited by this draw.
“The chief executive, Ryan Duckett, has been down a couple of times to talk about things and we have confidence in the club … We as players managed to get paid recently so there are a lot of happy people around and we are over that first hurdle.
“We are going to get through this and everyone has rallied. It has probably brought us all together.”
In the only other all-Super League clash of the Challenge Cup fifth round Leeds, runners-up in the previous two years, visit the Salford City Reds.


