Bradford Bulls 20, Huddersfield Giants 8; by Nigel Askham.

The Bulls have often have been accused of not having enough strike power, but Henry Paul looks ready to change all that.

The club's star close-season recruit didn't boss the game by any means, but in a highly competitive contest dominated by defences for long spells, he produced two pieces of individual magic which effectively decided the game.

Outgunned for long spells in the opening 40, they trailed to full back Danny Arnold's try, following an uncharacteristic mistake by Stuart Spruce.

But with the help of Steve McNamara's subtle chip over the defensive line, Henry Paul coolly scooped up possession and sent the eagerly-supporting Paul Deacon scurrying to the posts.

And he struck again within two minutes of the restart by flat-footing the Giants with the sort of nifty footwork which looks sure to make him a big favourite at Odsal.

There was no apparent threat when he received the ball standing still, but a couple of twists later he was strolling through under the posts.

However, with so many new combinations scattered all over the field and the Giants showing the sort of resilience Malcolm Reilly demands, the Bulls were unable to press on after their 12-point scoring burst either side of the break.

Instead Huddersfield cut the deficit to only four points when Bobbie Goulding - looking to have recaptured his old enthusiasm - provided the bomb which fell invitingly for Nick Fozzard to notch their second try.

But the Bulls dominated the final 20 minutes territorially, and it was left to another new boy to set them back on the path to victory.

Michael Withers had impressed with some determined defence all afternoon without ever getting the sort of running chance to show off his speed.

But there was nothing wrong with his opportunism when Lee Radford's mishit chip ahead confused the Giants, and the former Balmain centre squirmed through the smallest of holes before stretching out for a debut score.

Of the other newcomers, David Boyle showed plenty of mobility, but Scott Naylor suffered an early knock and his replacement Nick Zisti had very limited running opportunities.

Pick of the rest were Deacon, who showed he intends to keep the Paul brothers - not to mention Jimmy Lowes - on their toes, and Warren Jowitt, who surely deserves an injury-free campaign after being held back by serious ankle and knee injuries over the past two campaigns.

It was impossible to draw too many conclusions on one outing though, and it will clearly take time before Matthew Elliott's new-look side really starts to take shape.

Bulls: Spruce; Vaikona, Naylor, Withers, McAvoy; H Paul, R Paul; McDermott, Lowes, S Fielden, Donougher, Dwyer, McNamara. Subs: Deacon, Radford, Harmon, Boyle, J Peacock, Zisti, Pryce, Jowitt, Thomas, Banks.

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