LEEDS RHINOS 46 BRADFORD BULLS 16
PHIL CAPLAN, AMT Headingley, Saturday

CAMERON SMITH said “we had some fun” after marking his testimonial with a try – playing at stand-off for part of his return in the second half – and two goals.

Leeds posted eight touchdowns in the lead-up to the new campaign, and in the heralded return of this rivalry.

Both sides claimed it was a test for what’s ahead, although Bradford – with nine injuries – kept a modicum of their powder dry with their starting 13, and carried half as many replacements on their bench.

The main hope was to avoid injuries but the Rhinos had four concerns afterwards – Max Simpson being the most concerning, with the luckless youngster to undergo scans amid fears of another serious knee injury.

However, they were in control for the majority of the game and Brodie Croft starred with a 21-minute second-half hat-trick.

Ash Handley impressed in the first period with a brace while for the visitors, Mitch Souter was a thorn out of dummy-half and Joe Keyes ran the side well.

Leeds dominated the first half on the back of the quicker play-the-balls promised under the revised laws, gaining three set restarts to one in the opening 40, but could not shake off a determined Bulls until midway through the second period.

The sides traded early knock-ons in the biting wind, Leeds twice raiding down the left but snuffed out on both occasions by Connor Wynne.

Three times the hosts gave away seven-tackle sets, including Chris Hankinson knocking-on over the line after Harry Newman intercepted a long Jayden Nikorima pass.

Hankinson and James McDonnell went off injured early but from a penalty Connor went high, Jayden Okunbor was beaten to it and Riley Lumb sent Handley over.

Luke Hooley took a Croft high kick and Keyes romped away down the North Stand side from 40 metres out to go over in the corner, Hooley goaling to put the visitors ahead as the sun came out.

Leeds forced a drop-out and while Lachlan Miller ignored an overlap, Connor on the last delivered a delicate chip for Handley to gain his second touchdown.

Danny Levi went close and earned a fourth penalty of the half for his side, from which Connor’s short pass put Ethan O’Neill across.

Ryan Hall spilled the kick-off and from the scrum on the Leeds ten, Sam Hallas and Nikorima fed Ethan Ryan and he got on the outside of Ryan Hall.

Hooley converted that try from the left touchline to make it 16-12 at the break.

Leeds opened the second half with a midfield offload from Jarrod O’Connor, playing at loose-forward, that ended with a fine diagonal run to the posts from Croft.

The Bulls enjoyed their first concerted spell of pressure, Keyes earning a back-to-one with a chip and kicking early to force a goal-line drop-out. After Souter was held up, Croft was caught offside and Nikorima and Caleb Aekins sent Ryan over.

Leeds forced another two set restarts and Miller’s grubber saw Croft pounce just as the ball was about to roll dead in-goal.

The Rhinos then got a sixth set restart on the last and Croft made Bradford pay, darting to the posts.

Croft forced a drop-out with a well-placed kick and Nikorima missed an interception, allowing Smith to link with O’Neill, taking the return pass to score – and convert – to rousing cheers on his big day.

There was a glimpse of the Rhinos’ future with their final try, as George Brown gave a lovely offload for Presley Cassell to dive between the posts.

GAMESTAR: Brodie Croft sparkled in midfield for the Rhinos, running some great diagonal lines, sidestepping to great effect, defending strongly and scoring three tries.

GAMEBREAKER: Croft’s second try, from a precise grubber by Lachlan Miller to make it 28-16, ended the Bulls’ until-then dogged resistance.

MATCHFACTS

RHINOS
1 Lachlan Miller
14 Chris Hankinson
3 Harry Newman
4 Ash Handley
5 Ryan Hall
6 Brodie Croft
7 Jake Connor
15 Cooper Jenkins
23 Danny Levi
10 Tom Holroyd
16 Ethan O’Neill
12 James McDonnell
17 Cameron Smith
Subs (all used)
8 Mikolaj Oledzki
9 Jarrod O’Connor
11 Kallum Watkins
18 Max Simpson
20 Presley Cassell
22 Riley Lumb
24 Ned McCormack
26 Tom Nicholson-Watton
27 Harley Thomas
28 George Brown
29 Oscar Brown
30 Jacob Stead

Tries: Handley (21, 32), O’Neill (36), Croft (42, 57, 63), Smith (70), Cassell (76)
Goals: Connor 5/6, Smith 2/2

BULLS
22 Luke Hooley
2 Jayden Okunbor
23 Connor Wynne
4 Waqa Blake
5 Ethan Ryan
6 Jayden Nikorima
18 Joe Keyes
10 Loghan Lewis
14 Mitch Souter
15 Eribe Doro
11 Dan Russell
30 Leon Ruan
25 Eliot Peposhi
Subs (all used)
1 Caleb Aekins
3 Esan Marsters
20 Brandon Douglas
21 Sam Hallas
26 Ronan Michael
28 Jamie Gill

Tries: Keyes (23), Ryan (40, 53)
Goals: Hooley 2/2, Okunbor 0/1

SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 4-6, 10-6, 16-6, 16-12; 22-12, 22-16, 28-16, 34-16, 40-16, 46-16

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Rhinos: Brodie Croft; Bulls: Mitch Souter

Penalty count: 6-3
Half-time: 16-12
Referee: Tom Grant
Attendance: 6,751