The weather might be dull and the world news depressing, but there has been a smile on the face of Bradford this past couple of days thanks to the Bulls' decisive 37-6 win over Wigan Warriors in the Tetley Super League grand final.
Congratulations to the team who worked so hard on Saturday. It is good to see them at the top again after a very successful season. They have finally rid themselves of the tag of players who failed to rise to the big occasion, "chokers" who froze when it really mattered. Saturday's triumph demonstrated plainly enough that that doesn't apply to them any more. They have burst through that barrier.
A huge amount of credit is due to Brian Noble, who has been incredibly successful in his first full season in charge. He has clearly developed a great technical understanding of the game to match his natural enthusiasm and the people-motivation skills that have endeared him to players and management alike throughout his career.
All credit, too, to the Bulls' marvellous fans who turned out in such large numbers to produce a record crowd at Old Trafford for this milestone match, in which the lads consigned the disappointments of previous finals to the history books and proved themselves worthy champions by anyone's standards.
Their victory is brilliant not just for the club but for all of Bradford. It is a shame, though, that national coverage, particularly on the main TV channels, did not do full justice to what a splendid achievement it was.
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