Bradford boss James Lowes believes a slow start prevented the Bulls from recording a fourth-straight win – for the first time in five years – yesterday.
Coach Lowes saw his side slip to a 32-18 defeat at the hands of Castleford Tigers, but it was an initial three-try deficit which ultimately proved the difference at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle, despite Bradford’s impressive second-half fightback.
Lee Gaskell was the star of the Bulls’ show, bagging a superb hat-trick of tries, but his efforts weren’t enough to see the Provident Stadium outfit to victory.
“We were very poor in the first half, there was very little good about our game,” said Lowes.
“We knew we had to be on our game against what is a very good Castleford side, but it just didn’t not happen in the first half.
“Our defence wasn’t great and we did not do well with the ball in hand. Errors were aplenty and it was very disappointing.
“By not completing at a high enough level, we doubled our tackling rate and allowed Castleford plenty of chances to score.
“I thought we were great after the break,” added Lowes.
“We moved the ball quicker, tackled harder, our line-speed was brilliant and we managed to claw our way back into the game with some great tries.
“We played some nice stuff and there was plenty to take from the second half, but it was just a little too far away from us – after such a slow start.”
