KEIGHLEY COUGARS 44 BRADFORD BULLS 22
MICK GLEDHILL, Cougar Park, Saturday
A YOUTHFUL Bradford side stepped up to give Keighley a helpful pre-season test with a battling performance full of energy and effort against their rivals.
The Bulls sent a second-string line-up to Cougar Park after original guests Salford pulled out of a prospective visit and led through an impressive first-half display.
But Jake Webster saw his League One side – who wait a week for their Challenge Cup tie with York – score 34 unanswered points in the second half, including two tries from Connor Sayner, a former Bradford player turned Keighley trialist.
Keighley had a challenging start to the match, as they struggled to deal with an enthusiastic display from Bradford, who took an early lead inside five minutes thanks to Tyran Ott’s keen awareness to dart out from dummy-half.
Moments later, the Bulls doubled their score when centre Harvey Duckworth capitalised on a superb offload from Eliot Peposhi, a combination which highlighted their attacking intent and ability to exploit gaps in the Cougars’ defence.
After the early shock of trailing 10-0 in as many minutes, Keighley began to find their rhythm and responded to the pressure with winger Brad Holroyd getting a try back.
But then the Bulls forced a home error, and from the field position Sam Ackroyd managed to identify a gap in the Cougars’ defensive line and add a third try to Bradford’s tally in a well-coordinated offensive movement, using his agility and speed to score a superb individual effort.
Further tries were traded before half-time, with new Keighley signing Izaac Farrell darting past several defenders to score a remarkable individual effort before young Bulls winger Waldimar Matahwa capitalised on an error in the in-goal area to give his side a 22-10 lead (including three Finley Balback conversions) at the break.
In contrast, the second half was one-way traffic, beginning with a brilliant break down the right edge orchestrated by Billy Walkley which led to a well-taken Adam Ryder try.
Sayner exploited a gap in the Bulls’ defence to score in the corner, energising the home crowd with the scoreboard now showing Keighley trailing by just two points at 22-20.
Sayner then made it two tries in succession from a quick dummy-half play, marking a significant turnaround as the Cougars took the lead for the first time on the hour mark.
With newfound confidence, Keighley surged forward, with Ryder once again charging through the heart of the Bulls’ defence to register another try.
The Cougars dominated the last 15 minutes of the match, ramping up the intensity and pressure on their rivals to finish with eight tries, six of them converted by Jack Miller.
Young prop Leo Aliyu bulldozed his way over the line, demonstrating the team’s strength and noticeable size difference at this stage of the game in the forward pack.
And just before the final hooter sounded, Bobby Hartley spotted a gap and dashed over the try-line, concluding a largely positive second-half display.
GAMESTAR: Bradford halfback Sam Ackroyd was particularly impressive in the first half and, despite his tender years, he delivered an outstanding display on the losing side.
GAMEBREAKER: Back-to-back scores from Adam Ryder and Leo Aliyu put the game firmly to bed for Keighley.
MATCHFACTS
COUGARS
20 Oliver Whitford
2 Brad Holroyd
3 Adam Ryder
4 Junior Nuu
5 Billy Walkley
6 Izaac Farrell
7 Jack Miller
10 Mark Ioane
14 Harry Bowes
16 Jordan Schofield
26 Ryan Hogg
12 Lachlan Lanskey
24 Elliott Cousins
Subs (all used)
18 Ben Dean
28 Bobby Hartley
23 Leo Aliyu
32 Connor Sayner
25 Will McCardle
21 Max Lambourne
Tries: Holroyd (24), Farrell (34), Ryder (46, 70), Sayner (64, 68), Aliyu (74), Hartley (80)
Goals: Miller 6/8
BULLS
1 George Rayner
2 Bailey Tait
3 Harvey Duckworth
4 Lewis Hagan
5 Waldimar Matahwa
6 Sam Ackroyd
7 Finley Balback
24 Nathan Mason
9 Tyran Ott
10 Jamie Gill
11 Harry Gray
12 Eliot Peposhi
13 Jacob Bateman
Subs (all used)
14 Lewis Owens
15 Mason Corbett
16 Alfie Leak
17 Cameron Bate
18 Freddie Butler
19 Kam Siddique
21 Conlan Mawson
23 Josh Hunt
Tries: Ott (4), Duckworth (8), Ackroyd (26), Matahwa (36)
Goals: Balback 3/4
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 0-10, 4-10, 4-16, 10-16, 10-22; 16-22, 20-22, 26-22, 32-22, 38-22, 44-22
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Cougars: Connor Sayner; Bulls: Sam Ackroyd
Penalty count: 10-6
Half-time: 10-22
Referee: Sam Houghton
Attendance: 617
