SHEFFIELD EAGLES 8 BRADFORD BULLS 70
MICHAEL GLEDHILL, Olympic Legacy Park, Friday
BRADFORD moved up to second place in the Championship table with a 12-try rout against struggling Sheffield.
The morning of the game started with the breaking news that Jack Walker had informed the Eagles of his decision to leave after triggering a clause in his contract to enable him to join a Super League team with immediate effect.
They knew they would face a tough challenge before kick-off
against a revitalised Bradford, who were fresh off their second bye-weekend and eager to secure their fifth consecutive win.
Bradford made that freshness factor count and struck fast. Just two minutes in, Guy Armitage showed tremendous acrobatics to score in the left corner.
The Eagles fought back quickly and Jack Bussey powered over near the posts, giving the Sheffield supporters hope of a competitive game.
But that Sheffield score sparked the Bulls to play faster and
smarter, and Jayden Okunbor bulldozed his way into the right corner for their second try.
At the 23-minute mark, Tom Holmes dashed through, scoring left of the posts after Kieran Gill’s blazing 50-metre run.
The Bulls kept rolling forward and the scoreboard kept ticking over. Zac Fulton muscled over from close range near the posts, making it 24-4 with still 14 minutes left until half-time.
In the final ten minutes, Bradford turned up the heat. Luke Hooley added his own try after a Matty Gee break, then Armitage and Holmes each scored again, slicing through some tired and at times feeble Eagles defence.
The half-time hooter left the Eagles faithful in stunned disbelief at the unfolding drama. The Bulls, on the other hand, marched into the dressing room with an impressive 42-4 lead, fully aware that the game was well beyond reach.
The visitors came out for the second half with the same intensity as they had in the first, and Kieran Gill quickly crossed for a brace of tries that pushed Bradford’s lead to a commanding 50 points within just four minutes of the second half starting.
Hooley then continued the points-scoring, adding himself a second try of the evening as the ruthless Bulls continued to shine.
Martyn Reilly gave the Eagles a slight reprieve after supporting a break from Danny Craven to score their second try of the game.
Hooley swiftly followed up his earlier success by completing a
remarkable hat-trick just six minutes later, showcasing his skill by linking up seamlessly with Joe Keyes and Holmes in a dynamic attacking move.
With ten minutes to go, Armitage crossed in the left corner, taking numerous Sheffield players over the line to complete his hat-trick.
Jordan Lilley missed his only conversion of the evening, following four earlier successes and seven goals from seven by Hooley.
That rounded off an impressive victory for Bradford, who next face the side they have edged above on points difference, Toulouse, at Odsal next Saturday evening.
GAMESTAR: Luke Hooley was particularly impressive in Bradford’s biggest win of the season, delivering an outstanding display with a hat-trick and 100 percent record with the boot.
GAMEBREAKER: The RFL fixture planners when they scheduled Sheffield for a challenging six-day turnaround after their exhausting trip to Toulouse, facing a fresh Bradford team that enjoyed a bye-weekend.
MATCHFACTS
EAGLES
1 Matty Marsh
25 Jayden Billy
3 Kris Welham
5 Matty Dawson-Jones
21 Ryan Millar
9 Corey Johnson
37 Danny Craven
38 Marcus Green
32 Harry Bowes
30 Martyn Reilly
36 Brad Gallagher
18 Jack Bussey
13 Titus Gwaze
Subs (all used)
14 Reiss Butterworth
16 Blake Broadbent
22 Masi Matongo
33 Will Oakes
Tries: Bussey (10), Reilly (58)
Goals: Welham 0/2
BULLS
26 Luke Hooley
37 Jayden Okunbor
3 Waqa Blake
4 Kieran Gill
5 Guy Armitage
1 Tom Holmes
7 Joe Keyes
8 Michael Lawrence
9 Jordan Lilley
15 Logan Bayliss-Brow
11 Zac Fulton
12 Matty Gee
34 Chris Hill
Subs (all used)
10 Ebon Scurr
14 Mitch Souter
18 Sam Hallas
20 Ronan Michael
Tries: Armitage (2, 40, 70), Okunbor (16), Holmes (23, 38), Fulton (26), Hooley (36, 60, 66), Gill (42, 46)
Goals: Lilley 4/5, Hooley 7/7
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 4-6, 4-12, 4-18, 4-24, 4-30, 4-36, 4-42; 4-48, 4-54, 4-60, 8-60, 8-66, 8-70
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Eagles: Martyn Reilly; Bulls: Luke Hooley
Penalty count: 1-5
Half-time: 4-42
Referee: Ryan Cox
Attendance: 1,344