BRADFORD BULLS 30 YORK KNIGHTS 20
KEITH McGHIE, Bartercard Odsal Stadium, Friday
NEW recruit Riley Dean claimed 18 points from a try and seven goals as Bradford improved their status as the best of the three sides promoted from the Championship during the close season.
The Bulls, crippled so cruelly throughout the opening rounds of the season, were further restored to strength with four more players back from the treatment table in skipper Joe Mellor, Ryan Sutton, Ebon Scurr and Ethan Ryan.
Dean got the nod to make his Bradford debut at halfback after joining from Oldham.
York too had a trio of returnees in Liam Harris, recovered from a hamstring which had seen him sidelined since March, Paul Vaughan and Jordan Thompson, while Harvey Reynolds came in on loan from Newcastle.
Veteran hooker Paul McShane (calf strain) and Will Roberts were among those to make way.
Another Thunder loanee Tom Inman and Denive Balmforth, on a season-long arrangement from Hull FC, stood in for McShane who is likely to be missing for a month.
The unexpected death of John Kear, the man who picked Bradford up from the depths of League One in 2018 as coach and began their rise back to the top table, was marked by a perfectly acted-out minute’s silence before the kick-off.
When the game did get underway there was no scoring until midway through the opening half when York, who had won the two most recent encounters between these sides by two points each time – crossed first.
A loose Harris pass was helped out to David Nofoaluma, who spotted a slight overlap and just made it to the line before the defence could regroup, although Cody Hunter failed to curl in the conversion attempt.
Bulls were immediately put in further bother when Andy Ackers was penalised and sin-binned for a reckless challenge.
The home side did well to withstand any pressure as the hard-working remaining twelve men resisted any further Knights scoring attempts until Ackers returned.
Seconds before that happened, Jayden Nikorima latched on to a Ryan half break and brilliant pass, while falling in the tackle, to score with Dean’s first conversion edging Bradford ahead.
As the hosts pressed again, York were penalised for offside at the ruck near their own goal-line, allowing Dean to double the slender advantage to 8-4 with a penalty just before the break.
York were quickest off the mark on the restart as Nofoaluma ran onto a long missed pass to touchdown in the left-hand corner but again the conversion attempt was just wide, leaving the score level.
But then Connor Wynne was taken out by Nofoaluma chasing his own kick and the Knights winger being sin-binned after a video replay.
Dean’s penalty struck the upright and came out, however minutes later he was given another chance as the penalty count rose and he made no mistake.
He was also on target after Mellor ducked his way over to give them breathing space, and knocked over a third penalty 13 minutes from time.
York were far from finished and Nofoaluma’s hat-trick try ensured a grandstand finish.
Dean clinched matters, converting his own try, after Ryan made a wonderful catch of a high kick and offloaded, before Eribe Doro iced the cake with a fourth Bulls try.
Harris grabbed a very late consolation score for the visitors.
GAMESTAR: Caleb Aekins was invariably in good positions to make telling dashes through the line.
GAMEBREAKER: Riley Dean’s late try, quickly followed by an Eribe Doro touchdown.
HIGHLIGHT REEL: Ethan Ryan’s break and pass leading to Bradford’s opening try from Jayden Nikorima.
ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Caleb Aekins (Bradford)
2 pts Ethan Ryan (Bradford)
1 pt David Nofoaluma (York)
MATCHFACTS
BULLS
1 Caleb Aekins
21 Connor Wynne
17 Ed Chamberlain
4 Waqa Blake
5 Ethan Ryan
6 Jayden Nikorima
38 Riley Dean (D)
8 Ryan Sutton
9 Andy Ackers
15 Eribe Doro
11 Dan Russell
12 Zac Fulton
13 Joe Mellor
Subs (all used)
16 Ebon Scurr
19 Will Gardiner
25 Eliot Peposhi
32 Chris Atkin
18th man (not used)
22 Luke Hooley
Also in 21-man squad
14 Mitch Souter
24 Guy Armitage
28 Jamie Gill
Tries: Nikorima (33), Mellor (56), Dean (73), Doro (76)
Goals: Dean 7/8
Sin bin: Ackers (22) – high tackle
KNIGHTS
24 Will Dagger
5 Scott Galeano
4 Sam Wood
1 Toa Mata’afa
46 David Nofoaluma
37 Cody Hunter
7 Liam Harris
8 Jack Martin
48 Tom Inman
10 Paul Vaughan
30 Harvey Reynolds
20 Oli Field
13 Jordan Thompson
Subs (all used)
6 Ata Hingano
14 Denive Balmforth
15 Xavier Va’a
31 King Viniyayawa
18th man (not used)
23 Jon Bennison
Also in 21-man squad
17 Kieran Hudson
19 Danny Richardson
21 Kieran Buchanan
Tries: Nofoaluma (20, 43, 70), Harris (78)
Goals: Hunter 2/4
Sin bin: Nofoaluma (47) – tackle off the ball
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 6-4, 8-4; 8-8, 10-8, 16-8, 18-8, 18-14, 24-14, 30-14, 30-20
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Man of the Match
Bulls: Caleb Aekins; Knights: David Noafaluma
Penalty count: 10-11
Half-time: 8-4
Referee: Liam Rush
Attendance: 7,066