BRADFORD BULLS coach Mark Dunning reflected on a 53-10 defeat at Newcastle on Friday night and blasted: “The performance wasn’t acceptable.”
The setback took the gloss of his appointment on a contract until the end of next season after five wins in eight Championship games as caretaker after the departure of John Kear.
“It’s a bitter one to swallow,” added Dunning. “They schooled us in too many areas.”
Chairman Nigel Wood, chief executive Jason Hirst and Dunning are due to answer supporters’ questions after an open training session at Odsal on Thursday.
The fans’ forum event, originally scheduled for Wednesday, has been put back and will start at 8.15pm, after Dunning puts his players through their paces from 7pm in preparation for Saturday’s home clash with London Broncos.
Dunning will be able to call on the experience of Brian Noble, who guided the club to a World Club Challenge triumph, three Super League titles and a Challenge Cup final victory between 2001 and 2006.
The 61-year-old former Bradford and Great Britain player, who later coached the Lions as well as having spells in charge of Wigan, Welsh club Crusaders and Salford, is to act as an advisor.
“Brian will return to the club on an informal consultancy basis, to support Mark and his staff, as we look to finish the season strongly and secure a play-off place,” explained Hirst.
“The appointment of these two knowledgeable, highly skilled and proud Bradfordians allows us to continue to strategically plan and progress our recruitment plans for the 2023 season and beyond.”
Dunning, coming up to ten years’ service at Bradford in a variety of coaching roles and who was Kear’s assistant, said: “I am delighted, honoured and humbled to continue leading the performance department of this prestigious club.
“There is lots to do if we are to achieve the goal of everyone here, which is to earn our right to compete at the top end of the sport.”
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HALIFAX PANTHERS coach Simon Grix praised his play-off chasers’ adaptability after getting one over on his former assistant Liam Finn via a 38-12 win at Dewsbury.
It was a second match at the Rams’ helm for Finn after his departure from The Shay, where he became Grix’s right-hand man during the close-season.
The pair remain close friends, and Grix was relieved to grab a twelfth win in 17 league games this year after being forced into a late team reshuffle at The Tetley’s Stadium.
Fullback James Woodburn-Hall, who had been dovetailing neatly with halfbacks Louis Jouffret and Joe Keyes in previous games, pulled up during the warm-up, so ex-Dewsbury man Joe Martin moved from the bench into the starting 13 (he scored one of the Panthers’ seven tries).
That meant skipper Brandon Moore came into the 17 to make his 150th appearance for the club.
The 25-year-old Cumbrian hooker, who had a loan stint in Super League with Huddersfield when the 2020 Championship season was curtailed, made a try-scoring Halifax debut from the bench in the 78-0 Challenge Cup fourth-round win over Pilkington Recs at St Helens’ Totally Wicked Stadium (then known as Langtree Park), in March 2016.
Moore, who was tracked by several top-flight clubs before penning a new two-year Halifax deal early in 2021, when he was named captain in succession to Keighley-bound Scott Murrell, came through the development system at Castleford.
“There’s still plenty to improve on,” said Grix, whose side will chase a fourth successive win when they host York in front of the Premier Sports television cameras tonight (Monday, July 11).
“But with what went on in build-up to the game, it could have been an excuse for what would have been a shock loss.
“However we had a bit too much quality at the right times and got the points on the board.”
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YORK CITY KNIGHTS coach James Ford says he’s more than happy to have Liam Harris back under his tutelage as the halfback prepares to face former club Halifax in front of the Premier Sports television cameras tonight (Monday, July 11).
While the gloss was taken off the 25-year-old’s 100th career appearance as Barrow won 24-16 at the LNER Stadium to deny the Knights a fifth successive victory, Ford says he’s become a key player following his close-season switch from The Shay.
Harris started out at home-city Hull KR, making one first-team appearance in 2017, when he had the first of two loan spells at York (18 games).
The second, again of 18 matches, came in 2019 in the middle of a three-season stint at Hull which brought eleven outings for the Black and Whites and 15 for Doncaster on dual-registration.
Harris played 21 times as Halifax made last season’s play-off semi-finals and is hoping for another extended campaign with York, for whom he has played 16 times in his third spell.
“I enjoyed working with Liam before and I’m enjoying it again,” said Ford, who has been in charge since 2015 after spells as a York player, leading the club’s development side and as assistant coach.
“He’s had a really good season so far and matured into a key member of our leadership group.”
York have claimed 13 wins from 17 league matches and Ford said: “Credit Barrow, because they worked really hard to beat us and hung in at times.
“We didn’t play like we had done in previous games. We couldn’t find any rhythm, and didn’t get into a five or six-set swing, which is when we’re at our best.
“Not many teams win every week, and when you lose, it’s really important that you take things on board and stick together.”
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LEIGH CENTURIONS coach Adrian Lam has called on his table-toppers to carry on being “ruthless and relentless” on the road.
The promotion chasers are halfway through a run of six straight away games as their home stadium stages Women’s European Championship Football matches.
As well as three Portugal games, Leigh Sports Village will host a quarter-final on Monday, July 22.
The Centurions last played there on June 13, beating Featherstone 32-12 in front of the Premier Sports television cameras.
After travelling to Sheffield, Bradford and Workington, Lam’s side visit Dewsbury (on Sunday), Whitehaven on Sunday, July 24 and face Featherstone at the Summer Bash at Headingley on Saturday 30.
Their next home game is against Barrow on Sunday, August 7 in round 22 of 27.
Leigh went to Workington the back of a 56-6 demolition job on Bradford at Odsal, their 16th win in 17 league outings.
“We were ruthless and relentless from the very start right to the very end, and that’s what we’re looking for,” said Lam.
Ex-NRL, Catalans, Widnes and Salford back Krisnan Inu claimed a hat-trick of tries as well as kicking eight goals to take his respective league tallies to 13 and 55 respectively ahead of the Workington game, with Leigh having scored 694 league points while conceding 142.
But the modest New Zealand and Samoa international, who was signed in February after a spell in France with Villeneuve, insisted: “I was just lucky to receive the ball near the line. All I had to do was finish the chances.
“Like the coach says, we want to be ruthless and make sure we stay on top of the table.
“All the boys did well against Bradford and the middles were awesome.
“The only disappointment was the six points we conceded and we should have done better with that. We need to clean it up.”
Leigh have agreed contract extensions with halfback Joe Mellor (two years) and second rower Joe Wardle (one).
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BARROW RAIDERS have reluctantly said au revoir to French loanee Mathieu Cozza.
Brexit led to the exit of the Catalans Dragons forward after a 28-day, three-match stint.
The play-off chasers investigated retaining the 22-year-old for the remainder of the campaign. But the restrictions of movement on European nationals brought about by the Brexit agreement means a full working visa would have been needed.
And the club explained: “Under the rules, the Raiders cannot apply for a visa under a loan agreement as we are not his direct employer. The visa route can also take time and is a costly process.”
At least Cozza went out on a high, coming off the bench to help Paul Crarey’s side, who currently occupy the sixth and final play-off position, claim an impressive 24-16 victory at York.
Barrow, who having hosted county rivals Whitehaven, head to Sheffield on Sunday, remain on the look-out for potential additions as Crarey tries to close down a play-off place a year after promotion was earned as League One champions.
The Raiders have agreed a two-year contract extension with experienced prop Carl Forster.
Meanwhile two Barrow players reached career milestones at York.
Second rower Dan Toal made his 200th appearance for the club, his debut having come in the 48-16 Northern Rail Cup defeat at Leigh in February 2012.
And former Warrington, Bradford, Hull KR and Leigh winger Ryan Shaw crossed twice to reach 100 career tries – 24 for Barrow, with whom he had loan spells in 2012 and 2014 before signing permanently last year, one for London Broncos (on loan in 2013), nine for Swinton (on loan in 2013), 16 for Bradford, 47 for Hull KR and three for Leigh.
The 29-year-old who has been hampered by injury this season, said: “It’s been a long time coming. I came back too early after injury a few times, but I’m feeling great now.”
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WIDNES VIKINGS coach John Kear wants his players to take the Penrith Panthers route to success.
The former Bradford boss watched his new side win 38-0 at Workington in his first match at the helm.
And Kear was as pleased with shutting out the hosts as he was with the points scored, explaining: “The players responded to what was asked of them.
“We wanted to make it an effort-based performance – not to look tired or that the opposition was on top of us at any time.
“I want the team to enjoy defending as much as attacking. That’s what the best teams in Super League and the best team in the NRL, Penrith Panthers, do.
“If you want to be successful, you have to love defending, and the players looked like they did.
“If you invest in defence, it makes everything so much easier. You feel more in control of all situations.
“There are areas we need to be better at, and we will work on them, but for a first 80 minutes, it wasn’t bad.”
Kear hailed an all-round team display, but had particular praise for seasoned halfback Matty Smith and loose-forward Liam Bent.
“Matty has been great ever since I arrived,” he said. “He’s a leader. He delivered exactly what I expected.
“And Liam was great. I was watching my middles and thinking about rotation, but he just doesn’t seem to get tired.
“It’s a real luxury to have a middle-unit player who will just keep working away and tidying things up.”
Having hosted Dewsbury, Widnes have another home game against Newcastle on Sunday.
That means a return to the DCBL Stadium for former coach Denis Betts, now Thunder’s director of rugby and in interim charge after the departure of Eamon O’Carroll.
Versatile back Lloyd Roby has had surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament and is expected to be out for between six and nine months.
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DEWSBURY RAMS coach Liam Finn has welcomed his old Wakefield coach Tony Smith on board as his right-hand man, with the pair focused on steering their side away from the relegation zone.
The Tetley’s Stadium team went into their game at Widnes three points away from the safety mark after the Rams’ 38-12 home defeat by Halifax and London Broncos’ 36-28 comeback win against Sheffield.
Now Dewsbury, desperate to avoid a drop into the third tier for the first time since 2009, face leaders Leigh at home on Sunday before a trip to Newcastle and the Summer Bash clash with neighbours Batley at Headingley.
Smith, who is nicknamed Casper, played as a halfback or hooker for Castleford, Wakefield, Hull, Yorkshire, England and Great Britain.
He coached Wakefield in the mid-noughties and has spent the last eight years running Castleford’s Academy.
The 51-year-old, who has signed a contract through to the end of 2023, in line with Finn, who was appointed in succession to Lee Greenwood on June 13, said: “As soon as I knew Finny was on the look-out for an assistant, I was interested.
“I coached him when he was starting out at Wakefield and he’s a proper student of the game.
“But he’s new to coaching and I’m hoping that my experience can help us and get us where we need to be.”
Finn, the 38-year-old former Dewsbury player and Halifax assistant coach, said: “It’s very exciting to have him with us.
“He’s very experienced and I’ve worked with him before earlier in my career. He’s a big capture for the club and will work to develop the players.”
Dewsbury will host an under-eleven girls’ tag tournament involving eight local schools on Friday.
The aim is to introduce young females to the sport and raise the profile of the forthcoming World Cup as well as the club and its facilities.
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WHITEHAVEN have taken Dan Coates from Newcastle on a month’s loan after the recall of his fellow halfback Cesar Rougé, as well as forward Corentin Le Cam, by Catalans Dragons.
The French pair, who were among five sent out by the Perpignan club for spells at Cumbrian sides, each made two appearances, in the 40-16 home defeat by York and 26-26 draw at Batley.
Coates, 22, began this season at London Broncos, having joined from Coventry (now Midlands Hurricanes) over the close-season, before a March move to Newcastle, where he came through the development system before his Coventry switch in 2021.
Whitehaven coach Jonty Gorley said: “Dan gives us cover at halfback and nine, which we desperately need.
“He will take some pressure off Nikau Williams in the kicking department and he is quite a smart player with ball in hand.”
Versatile back Geronimo Doyle aggravated an old arm injury during the Batley game while centre or backrower Jake Moore has ended his second spell at the club by mutual consent.
After an abortive move from Whitehaven to Ottawa Aces, the 25-year-old helped Workington win promotion from League One last year before returning to the LEL Arena.
He has made 29 appearances in his two spells at the club, scoring twelve tries and kicking 60 goals.
Gorley, whose side host Featherstone on Sunday, explained: “Jake hasn’t been 100 percent into his rugby recently. I want him to do what’s best for him.”
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BATLEY BULLDOGS forward Nyle Flynn is enjoying being back in the team – and thankful to Oldham for providing him with game time on his return from a long-term knee injury.
The versatile 24-year-old moved to the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium for the 2020 campaign after playing for Hunslet, then home-town Dewsbury in 2019.
The son of ex-Wakefield, Castleford, Dewsbury, Featherstone and Batley winger Adrian Flynn, he played in the juniors at Dewsbury Celtic and had spells in the development systems of both Huddersfield and Leeds.
Flynn featured 19 times for Batley last season, including in the second row in their play-off semi-final defeat by Toulouse in France.
While he joined Oldham on loan for the remainder of the season in the middle of May, Batley had a recall option and exercised it ahead of their home game against Whitehaven.
He played at prop in the 26-26 draw and was back in the squad for Friday’s trip to Sheffield, where Craig Lingard’s play-off chasers won 20-18.
“After seven months out, it was good to get some minutes under my belt at Oldham,” said Flynn. “I kept training at Batley, so was never out of the loop.”
The Bulldogs visit York for a Premier Sports-televised match next Monday (July 18).
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FEATHERSTONE ROVERS are uncertain for how long their star France international fullback Mark Kheirallah will be sidelined after damaging knee ligaments.
The former Toulouse player was left on crutches after taking a hit during his side’s 58-22 home win over Newcastle (he scored a try and kicked two goals from two attempts before being forced off).
Rovers went into the game without their other ex-Toulouse star, Cook Islands international Johnathon Ford, who had a groin problem.
“Now I know the cards I have been dealt I can create a plan for getting back to the field as quickly as possible. I really appreciate the messages of support,” said defiant Kheirallah.
The win over Thunder was welcome following successive defeats by promotion rivals Leigh and Batley.
Those setbacks meant Featherstone lost ground to Leigh in the race to finish top after 27 rounds and therefore secure home advantage should they make the Million Pound Game.
“There’s a fragility in some areas of our play which we badly need to get rid of,” said coach Brian McDermott.
Having played London Broncos at the Kuflink Stadium in Northfleet, Kent in round 18, Featherstone head to Whitehaven on Sunday.
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LONDON BRONCOS scrum-half Oliver Leyland reflected on a happy return to his home county after the capital club boosted their survival hopes with a thrilling comeback win over Sheffield.
Trailing 28-0 at their temporary home of Kent football club Ebbsfleet United’s Kuflink Stadium, interim coach Mike Eccles’ side hit back with 36 unanswered points to put a three-point margin between themselves and the drop zone ahead of round 18, when they faced Featherstone at the same venue.
Leyland, from Maidstone and a product of the Broncos’ development system, converted all six tries.
“At half-time, it was made clear to everyone that we could not afford to give up on the game,” explained the 21-year-old.
“We didn’t discuss winning as such, but we left the changing room seriously motivated to give a good account of ourselves, and that’s what we did.
“We were playing at a new stadium in front of new supporters and we’re happy to admit we let ourselves down in the first half.
“I don’t think anyone expected what happened, but we never stopped believing and battled right to the hooter.”
The Broncos visit Bradford on Saturday.
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SHEFFIELD EAGLES centre Josh Guzdek says being based at the new Olympic Legacy Park is only going to get better.
The steel-city side, who were nomadic after leaving the old Don Valley Stadium, on the site of which stands the OLP, at the end of 2013, played their fifth match there against Batley on Friday, losing 20-18.
They host Barrow this Sunday, and also have home games against Workington, Whitehaven, Halifax, Featherstone and Dewsbury on their artificial pitch before the end of the season.
“They’ve done really well with the stadium,” said former Hull KR and Dewsbury man Guzdek, 27, who is in his fourth year at Sheffield.
“We’re just waiting for the boxes at the top (of the stand) to be fully kitted out for sponsors and there’s probably going to be a gym at some point as well.
“Then we won’t be travelling all over Sheffield to gyms here, there and everywhere.”
* To read more about the OLP, see the July issue of Rugby League World, available by visiting totalrl.com/shop.
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NEWCASTLE THUNDER director of rugby and interim coach Denis Betts hailed Josh Woods after the scrum-half featured in his side’s 53-10 home win over Bradford three days after the death of his younger brother.
Ben Woods, 21, who played for community club Leigh East, drowned in a hotel swimming pool while on holiday in Cyprus.
Josh, 24, played for Wigan before joining Newcastle ahead of last season.
“I have no comprehension of how Josh did it or what it’s like to lose someone so close,” said Betts.
“I just think he needed something to focus on.”
Friday’s Kingston Park clash, which acted as an unofficial curtain-raiser for Magic Weekend, was watched by 3,034.
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WORKINGTON TOWN were left to rue the two that got away after Catalans Dragons recalled an on-loan duo – before they had played a game.
Spain international fullback or winger Romain Franco and prop Florian Vailhen arrived at Derwent Park before the home game against Widnes.
But they didn’t feature in the 38-0 defeat which left Chris Thorman’s side rock-bottom with only one win from 17 league game ahead of their tough home meeting with leaders Leigh.
And on Wednesday, the pair were recalled after Catalans coach Steve McNamara was left to deal with a glut of injuries and suspensions.
Workington head to Halifax on Sunday.
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