BRADFORD BULLS 26 KEIGHLEY COUGARS 0
KEITH McGHIE, Bartercard Odsal, Sunday
A SOMEWHAT disjointed display earned Bradford a deserved victory on a cool and blustery pre-Christmas ‘City of Culture’ clash for the Joe Phillips Memorial Trophy.
Bradford showed signs of the form they are expected to carry onto the higher echelons of the Championship, while League One Keighley battled hard throughout to disguise any possible lack of quality.
Brian Noble, back at the Bulls’ helm for a second spell as head coach, commented: “I’m really pleased with some of what I saw yet obviously still work to do.
“The first 20 minutes was where we would like to be – physically and technically dominant – and at the end some of the young kids came on and showed what they can offer.”
Opposite number Jake Webster, a former Bradford player, was also pleased with what transpired in difficult conditions.
He added: “I’m really proud of the boys effort and it’s never easy at this time of year.
“We frustrated them early in the game and our boys really turned up.”
The Bulls fielded a squad of 23 but with the notable omissions of captain Michael Lawrence, winter acquisitions Guy Armitage and James Donaldson, plus Jordan Lilley and Tom Holmes, who have both undergone minor close-season surgery.
Keighley, with four less players on the teamsheet, included West Bowling product Elliot Cousins, ex-Leeds Academy player Leo Aliya, former Dublin City Exiles’ Irish international Ryan Hogg, Oliver Whitford and one-time Heworth ARLFC player Will McCardle, all wearing the Cougars kit for the first time.
Izaac Farrell, recruited from Sheffield, was honoured to be wearing the number six shirt for the first time since it was ‘retired’ in deference to the tragic death of former Keighley stand-off Danny Jones in 2015.
The Bulls began with intent, both in attack and defence, with Mitch Souter being held-up and the hosts forcing a drop-out in the opening exchanges.
A Keighley knock-on, just feet in front of their own line, quickly followed from which Liam Tindall was denied by an adjudged forward pass.
The League One outfit didn’t get out of their own half until the tenth minute due to home team’s early domination.
But it was the 17th minute, and only after Elliot Cousins had been sin-binned, that the Bulls got onto the scoreboard when former St Helens star Waqa Blake scored a debut try after chasing a well-weighted Jimmy Meadows grubber kick.
Joe Keyes, starting his third spell at Odsal, failed with the conversion but went on to bisect the posts moments later.
Strong-running prop Ebon Scurr added another try just after the mid-point of a scrappy half, too often punctuated by penalties and frequent handling errors.
The biggest cheer was reserved for charging powerhouse Franklin Pele’s 20-metre burst though a helpless opposition defence, which almost made it to the line.
Emmanuel Waine set the scoreboard ticking over again after the interval, following a pacy break down the wing from Jorge Taufua, although Meadows was also wayward with the kick.
Keighley, fielding three former Bradford favourites in George Flanagan, Brad England and Brandon Pickersgill, did well to keep the Bulls at bay but were forced into continuous tackling and can be proud of their disruptive challenge to Bulls overt superiority.
Twice the Cougars were held up on rare ventures forward just after the hour, before Eliot Peposhi ran in the Bulls’ fourth try, which Meadows converted.
Sheer determination earned Alfie Leake his first try in a Bradford first-team shirt as Sam Ackroyd became the third goal kicker.
Keighley never gave up trying, with Flanagan kicking a late 40/20 which came to nothing, but suffered worrying finger dislocations to both Pickersgill and Josh Lynam.
GAMESTAR: Academy graduate George Rayner was described by coach Brian Noble as “probably the headliner” for a free-running and eye-catching display amid a predictably ever-changing side.
GAMEBREAKER: The Bulls’ persistent domination eventually eked out an always likely victory.
BULLS
– George Rayner
37 Jayden Okunbor
3 Waqa Blake
23 George Taufua
– Liam Tindall
6 James Meadows
7 Joe Keyes
10 Ebon Scurr
14 Mitch Souter
15 Logan Bayliss
12 Matty Gee
21 Emmanuel Waine
20 Ronan Michael
Subs (all used)
4 Kieran Gill
16 Nathan Mason
17 Franklin Pele
19 Tyran Ott
22 Eliot Peposhi
30 Jamie Gill
31 Sam Ackroyd
32 Mason Corbett
38 Jacob Bateman
– Josh Hunt
– Harry Gray
– Alfie Leake
Tries: Blake (16), Scurr (22), Waine (47), Peposhi (65), Leake (73)
Goals: Keyes 1/2, Meadows 1/2, Ackroyd 1/1
COUGARS
1 Brandon Pickersgill
2 Brad Holroyd
3 Adam Ryder
4 Junior Sau
5 Billy Walkley
6 Izzac Farrell
18 Ben Dean
10 Mark Ioane
9 George Flanagan
15 Dan Parker
11 Brad England
12 Lachlan Lanskey
24 Elliot Cousins
Subs (all used)
16 Jordan Schofield
17 Josh Lynam
19 Junior Nuu
20 Oliver Whitford
21 Max Lambourne
25 Will McCardle
26 Ryan Hogg
– Leo Aliyu
Sin-bin: Elliot Cousins (12) – illegal challenge
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 10-0; 14-0, 20-0, 26-0
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Bulls: George Rayner; Cougars: Oliver Whitfield
Penalty count: 8-7
Half-time: 10-0
Referee: Kevin Moore
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