BRADFORD BULLS 12 WAKEFIELD TRINITY 26
STEPHEN IBBETSON, Bartercard Odsal, Thursday

WAKEFIELD have a top-two Super League finish in their sights after a very nervy derby victory at Bradford.

A scrappy game ebbed and flowed, with Trinity dominating much of the first half and the Bulls making a roaring recovery in the second.

But just as it looked like the hosts were capable of a first win over Wakefield in twelve years, Josh Rourke and Harvey Smith tries sealed it for Daryl Powell’s men, who have now won five in a row and eight of their last nine.

Bradford’s performance was better than in April’s reverse fixture, when a side decimated by injuries lost 52-12, but this got off to exactly the same start with the concession of a second-minute Tom Johnstone try.

Jayden Nikorima – otherwise excellent – fumbled the kick-off and Wakefield made their first possession count with Will Tate putting the England winger over.

Last time against the Bulls, Johnstone went on to score four among a ten-try team haul, and Trinity should have been ahead by more than four points after a terribly ill-disciplined first quarter of an hour by the hosts.

But after holding firm in defence several times, and having a Caleb Aekins effort ruled out for Zac Fulton’s obstruction of Myles Lawford, Bradford went level when Ethan Ryan rose above Lachlan Walmsley to claim a kick by Chris Atkin, who saw his conversion attempt come back off a post.

Just two minutes later, Ryan was sinbinned for contact with Wakefield fullback Rourke in the air, and while having an extra player Trinity regained the lead.

A grubber from Lawford, the former Bulls prospect making his first Super League start, caused chaos as Matty Storton and Guy Armitage missed the ball before Tate dotted down ahead of Connor Wynne.

Having missed his first effort of the night, Rourke nailed his second, although the six-point lead was cut to four on the stroke of half-time as Luke Hooley, who only came into the Bradford team as a substitute after Loghan Lewis’ withdrawal in the warm-up, kicked a penalty.

The Bulls made their second-half task much harder when a huge gap opened up in the middle of their defence for Jay Pitts to gratefully go through with ease and Rourke’s goal made it 6-16.

Ryan thought he’d scored a second try in response, but was again denied by the officials as he and Armitage combined to knock on when competing for the same ball.

Caleb Hamlin-Uele then lost the ball under pressure when reaching out to ground, and it proved a turning point as Bradford marched straight up the field and Atkin tore through off a Nikorima pass with Trinity’s defence this time facing scrutiny.

The tables had turned, with panicked Wakefield now conceding penalty after penalty and Odsal in great voice. It seemed Nikorima had made the weight of attacking pressure pay, but Rourke got across in the nick of time to prevent a clean grounding with his knee.

And with eleven minutes to go, Rourke’s timing was just as impeccable at the other end – although many Bradford fans would disagree.

After spilling a Lawford kick, Aekins was left scrambling behind his goalline with his opposing fullback and both appeared to ground the ball at roughly the same time. It took lengthy investigative work by video referee Chris Kendall to decide that the original no-try decision of Marcus Griffiths should be overturned.

That call clinched Wakefield’s victory, although they also produced some outstanding defence late on to deny Jack Ormondroyd and Nikorima tries, then added six extra points through a dummy-half effort from sub hooker Smith and a third Rourke goal.

GAMESTAR: Jayden Nikorima was an attacking livewire for Bradford, even if it wasn’t quite enough.

GAMEBREAKER: Josh Rourke’s controversially-awarded try.

HIGHLIGHT REEL: Chris Atkin blasting through a gap to put Bradford well and truly back in the game.

ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Jayden Nikorima (Bradford)
2 pts Caius Faatili (Wakefield)
1 pt Chris Atkin (Bradford)

MATCHFACTS

BULLS
1 Caleb Aekins
23 Connor Wynne
24 Guy Armitage
4 Waqa Blake
5 Ethan Ryan
6 Jayden Nikorima
32 Chris Atkin
8 Ryan Sutton
9 Andy Ackers
33 Jack Ormondroyd
11 Dan Russell
12 Zac Fulton
13 Joe Mellor
Subs (all used)
16 Ebon Scurr
19 Will Gardiner
22 Luke Hooley
38 Riley Dean /
18th man (not used)
25 Eliot Peposhi
Also in 21-man squad
10 Loghan Lewis
14 Mitch Souter
15 Eribe Doro

Tries: Ryan (21), Atkin (51)
Goals: Atkin 0/1, Hooley 2/2
Sin bin: Ryan (23) – tackle in the air

TRINITY
23 Josh Rourke
19 Lachlan Walmsley
3 Cameron Scott
32 Will Tate
5 Tom Johnstone
6 Jake Trueman
27 Myles Lawford
8 Mike McMeeken
9 Tyson Smoothy
24 Tray Lolesio
12 Matty Storton
18 Isaiah Vagana
13 Jazz Tevaga
Subs (all used)
14 Jay Pitts
15 Caleb Hamlin-Uele
16 Caius Faatili
17 Harvey Smith
18th man (not used)
10 Ky Rodwell
Also in 21-man squad
4 Corey Hall
21 Jayden Myers
25 Jordan Williams

Tries: Johnstone (2), Tate (30), Pitts (44), Rourke (69), Smith (77)
Goals: Rourke 3/5

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 4-4, 4-10, 6-10; 6-16, 12-16, 12-20, 12-26

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Bulls: Jayden Nikorima; Trinity: Caius Faatili

Penalty count: 7-9
Half-time: 6-10
Referee: Marcus Griffiths
Attendance: 7,518