HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS 14 BRADFORD BULLS 28
STEPHEN IBBETSON, John Smith’s Stadium, Saturday
A POWERFUL display from an experienced Bradford side saw them beat weakened Huddersfield.
The Giants were far from full strength but this was not out of choice – such is their injury list, this was the best side they could field.
In contrast, Championship outfit Bradford had almost all of their first-team squad available and it told in a performance perhaps more dominant than the scoreline suggested, especially in a one-sided first half.
They led inside eight minutes, as Jayden Okunbor rose above opposing winger Adam Swift to convert James Meadows’ pin-point kick to the corner.
For all the Giants’ absentees, they weren’t helped by errors from senior men like Ash Golding and Tom Burgess, who made an unremarkable bow for the club.
Nor was a head injury to Sam Halsall welcome, and when his replacement, Elliot Wallis, failed to claim a Joe Keyes kick, Tom Holmes fed Mitch Souter for a second Bradford try and Keyes goaled for 0-10.
Okunbor was denied a second try by a knock-on but provided his team’s third with a break, set free by his centre Waqa Blake who stayed in support to finish the move.
Jordan Lilley converted for 0-16 and it should have stayed that way – if not been improved further – until half-time.
However, after Harry Rushton was shown the yellow card for holding down, the third such offence in quick succession by Huddersfield, Liam Sutcliffe intercepted a pass and released Swift, who showed he still has his trademark pace following a long injury absence by scoring a length-of-the-field try.
And while the second half resumed with Bradford dominance, and Kieran Gill and Bayley Liu each had tries ruled out, the hosts marched up the field and again scored against the run of play through Oliver Wilson, converted by Liam Sutcliffe to remarkably cut the deficit to just six points.
But it was a struggle throughout for the Super League side, with a very inexperienced spine – not a single senior halfback is currently fit – struggling to control the game and the Bulls also proving a more potent force in the middle.
Liu – one of two new signings making a first Bradford appearance alongside James Donaldson – and Gill weren’t to be denied in the closing stages, the former scoring from a scrum and the latter supporting a Matty Gee charge.
Those back-to-back tries came as Huddersfield brought six academy players on to complement starting halfback Leo Ward, one of whom – Beau Morrison, son of ex-Bradford player Glenn – scored a late try in the corner.
GAMESTAR: James Meadows kicked very well and should be a huge asset to Bradford this season.
GAMEBREAKER: Only after late back-to-back tries from Bayley Liu and Kieran Gill was a Bradford win certain.
MATCHFACTS
GIANTS
24 Aidan McGowan
2 Adam Swift
4 Liam Sutcliffe
3 Jake Bibby
5 Sam Halsall
29 George Flanagan
– Leo Ward
10 Tom Burgess
14 Ash Golding
8 Oliver Wilson
25 Jack Billington
12 Sam Hewitt
13 Harry Rushton
Subs (all used)
15 Matty English
20 Elliot Wallis
28 Connor Carr
30 Jack Bibby
– Logan Blacker
– Max Merta
– Monty Lumb
– Marshall Land
– Jacob Algar
– Beau Morrison
Tries: Swift (39), Wilson (52), Morrison (73)
Goals: Sutcliffe 1/2, Flanagan 0/1
Sin bin: Rushton (38) – holding down
BULLS
1 Tom Holmes
37 Jayden Okunbor
4 Kieran Gill
3 Waqa Blake
23 Jorge Taufua
6 James Meadows
7 Joe Keyes
8 Michael Lawrence
14 Mitch Souter
10 Ebon Scurr
11 Zac Fulton
12 Matty Gee
13 James Donaldson
Subs (all used)
9 Jordan Lilley
15 Logan Bayliss-Brow
16 Nathan Mason
17 Franklin Pele
18 Sam Hallas
19 Tyran Ott
20 Ronan Michael
21 Emmanuel Waine
22 Eliot Peposhi
25 Bayley Liu
31 Sam Ackroyd
– Josh Hunt
Tries: Okunbor (8), Souter (17), Blake (28), Liu (66), Gill (69)
Goals: Keyes 1/2, Lilley 3/3
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 0-10, 0-16, 4-16; 10-16, 10-22, 10-28, 14-28
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Giants: Oliver Wilson; Bulls: James Meadows
Penalty count: 4-4
Half-time: 4-16
Referee: Scott Mikalauskas
Attendance: 1,873
