Bulls look to kick on

Huddersfield Giants 12

The Bulls stuttered, spluttered and misfired but eventually dispatched the depleted Huddersfield Giants in a typically tempestuous encounter at Odsal yesterday.

Paul Deacon's perfect ten-goal display with the boot and an all-in brawl were the highlights of a game that failed to reach any significant heights.

The mounting injury toll at Huddersfield forced coach John Sharp to name a squad containing two schoolboys on the bench, one of whom, Bolougai Fagborun, was a former Bradford Dudley Hill amateur.

Sharp all but conceded that avoiding a flogging was foremost in his mind and his outclassed and over-matched side certainly muscled up in a game that contained no fewer than 23 penalties and probably as many handling errors.

Deacon punished the Giants with a faultless goal-kicking display, drilling goals from all over Odsal whenever the Giants infringed within range of the posts.

The scrum half's goals - and his first-rate tactical kicking - ensured the Bulls finally managed to exert the sort of pressure that has been missing for much of the season.

Deacon opened the scoring with a sixth-minute penalty that was soon cancelled out by makeshift winger Paul White's two-pointer for the Giants. But White - a scrum half playing out of position - demonstrated just how stretched the Giants' resources were by twice naively getting dragged into touch in the opening exchanges.

The Bulls, without Karl Pratt and Lesley Vainikolo - who is in New Zealand due to a family bereavement - were a bit stretched themselves but always looked a cut above the Giants.

Referee Karl Kirkpatrick was the dominant figure in the opening exchanges, whistling 13 penalties in the first half before dishing out four yellow cards in the second. And when the game wasn't being stopped through Kirkpatrick's whistle, a spate of handling errors from both sides reduced the match to a dire, stop-start affair.

Deacon's boot and an enthusiastic kick-chase saw the Bulls camped in Giants territory for most of the first half, but it took a rare grubber from prop Stuart Fielden to finally unlock the visitors' defence.

The excellent Jamie Peacock provided the initial offload to keep the ball alive and, when Deacon fed Fielden, the prop supplied an inch-perfect grubber for Shontayne Hape to race on to and score.

Deacon had already kicked a second penalty and he added the sideline conversion to put the Bulls 10-2 ahead.

Logan Swann then grabbed his first Super League try after collecting a short ball from skipper Robbie Paul and racing clear from 20 metres out.

Deacon again added the extras and another two-pointer shortly before the break to give the Bulls a handy 18-2 lead.

Deacon's fourth penalty stretched the lead shortly into the second half before Fielden collected a short ball from Paul and carried two defenders 15 metres to the line to notch his first try of the season.

The floodgates looked sure to open but the Giants hit back with a try of their own when centre James Evans latched onto Stanley Gene's grubber.

Gene was then the victim of a late charge by Fielden to which prop Jim Gannon objected to with an off-the-ball punch. Fielden reacted with some blows of his own before Radford entered the melee, only to end up on his backside courtesy of another punch from Gannon.

Kirkpatrick dispatched Fielden and Gannon to the bin and the Giants took advantage of the extra space, White finishing a sweeping move and converting his own try.

Instead of killing off the game, the Bulls again got the wobbles, with the Giants twice coming close to getting right back in the match.

With six minutes remaining Radford burst through from deep in his own half. Full back Stuart Donlan cut him down in a fine cover tackle but held on too long and Kirkpatrick branded the yellow card.

The short-handed Giants finally cracked but late tries to full back Stuart Reardon - who returned a kick from half-way - and Hape - who claimed his second after a powerful burst from Joe Vagana and good support play from Paul - gave the final scoreline a flattering look.

The final margin would have been even greater had Ben Roarty not taken out the supporting Chris Bridge after Paul Johnson out-stripped the defence with a blazing run down the right-hand touchline.

Roarty was dispatched to the bin for a cynical professional foul but, with the hooter having sounded, the Bulls settled for a final Deacon two-pointer.