Bradford Bulls have the last laugh

It's hard to decide whether or not yesterday was a good afternoon at the office for the Bulls.

When they were plain sailing 24-6 ahead early in the second half you would definitely say Yes'.

But then when they shipped four unanswered tries inside 19 horrific minutes, hardly touching the ball to fall 30-24 behind, you would insist Definitely not'.

Then the hardened Bulls fired back with some gutsy spirit and three tries of their own to save the day so maybe it was all right after all?

Perhaps fittingly in a season that has been so up and down, the champions finished off their final regular fixture list with an 80-minute display that incorporated an equally yo-yo style.

And, having won just once in their last four outings, Steve McNamara's team got the overall outcome they so desperately craved - a victory.

Salford boss Karl Harrison, watching from the Galpharm Stadium stands yesterday, will have left believing he can dump the champions at the first hurdle next Saturday.

The Bulls started badly when Giants second row Andy Raleigh crashed over after just two minutes, giving his side a huge lift as they set about attempting to end an horrendous 18-match losing run against Bradford in Super League.

The score had come courtesy of a needless penalty, Ben Harris catching Brad Drew late after the hooker launched a downfield kick, the sort of maddening ill-discipline that cost the Bulls dear in losing to Wakefield last week.

Paul Deacon booted the restart out on the full to heap further pressure on Bradford. This time Robbie Paul found a chink in their defence and it needed a desperate double tackle from Mick Withers and Marcus St Hilaire to haul him down as he eyed up a try against his former team-mates.

The Kiwi had done well to create the chance but failed to see Stephen Wild and Martin Aspinwall waiting outside unmarked and it proved a costly oversight.

The Bulls soon got up to speed - quite literally in the case of under-fire half-backs Iestyn Harris and Deacon.

The duo have been chastised recently for some below-par, lethargic performances but yesterday both attacked with renewed vigour, pace and invention, their promptings proving influential as the visitors racked up some points.

Winger Marcus Bai nearly muscled over in the corner when Brett Ferres fed him on the last but Stuart Donlan just managed to bundle him into the corner flag.

However, Withers did get over on ten minutes after clever approach work by Terry Newton and Joe Vagana close to the line and former Giant St Hilaire added a second.

Huddersfield seemed to be coping following a sustained assault but then Iestyn Harris's long ball to the flank gave St Hilaire just enough space to reach the whitewash.

It was an enjoyable score on his first return to his home-town club since being surprisingly dumped by Jon Sharp last winter.

His former boss must have been regretting that decision even more when St Hilaire finished off another raid.

The Bulls may have been inconsistent of late but the way they fashioned the winger's second try was a perfect illustration of them doing what they do best.

Withers showed great dexterity to palm a Drew kick back into play preventing a 40/20 and then return it with interest.

Next up, Bai produced his typical powerful early drive, before Andy Lynch and Shontayne Hape motored their side further down the middle on the back of quick play-the-balls.

Simple and efficient, the Bulls were already into the Giants half and it was left to terry Newton to snipe through with Sam Burgess up in support.

The 17-year-old prop showed real calm to steady himself as full back Paul Reilly narrowed him down, before supplying St Hilaire with the run in. Deacon slotted all three kicks to leave them in command at 18-6, the likes of Lynch, Vagana and the fearsome Chris McKenna proving too strong for Huddersfield down the middle and out wide.

Former Wigan star Kevin Brown thought he had got his side back in it when the stand off tried getting to Paul's grubber but the officials deemed St Hilaire had cleared just in time.

Giants, who were desperate to send departing Michael De Vere, Jim Gannon and Wayne McDonald off on a winning note, were further behind soon after the second half kicked off.

Deacon's restart came off the crossbar, nearly providing Newton with a freak try, but the hooker couldn't hold on.

However, Withers was in for his second when he came out of nowhere to get on the end of Ben Harris's grubber, turning up to snatch the bouncing ball off Reilly's nose and dive over.

Deacon nailed another touchline conversion and Bradford seemed set to inflict another massive defeat on their favourite whipping boys.

But Challenge Cup finalists Huddersfield were in no mood to let their campaign end on a sour note.

With Drew and Paul increasingly dangerous around the rucks, giant props McDonald and Eorl Crabtree getting them on the front foot and the visitors struggling to cope with Huddersfield's off-load game, they got a whiff.

This time it was Withers who was deceived by the bounce of the ball, Drew's unsuspecting kick on the fourth sitting up nicely for Martin Aspinwall to dive over, and when St Hilaire was lifted in a three-man tackle and forced back ten metres over his own line, the home support was suddenly awakened.

McDonald barged through some paper-thin Bulls defence from close range and with De Vere as accurate as Deacon it was 24-18.

Two minutes later, Wild broke Ferres's tackle and sprinted over, Aussie De Vere slotting the extras to draw the game level.

The Bulls could hardly get a touch as the Giants' ruthless streak, compounded by some needless errors, allowed the hosts to run riot.

It didn't finish there. After Bai had got in a mess and delivered a forward pass to Withers trying to get back from behind his own line, the Giants had a perfect attacking platform with a scrum ten metres out.

Paul and Chris Nero went blind and Bai got sucked in allowing Donlan to reach the corner and send the Huddersfield fans delirious.

When De Vere's touchline kick sailed over too, that long wait for a Super League win over the Bulls seemed to be coming to an end.

But the Bulls, whose fighting spirit when the chips are down has been questioned recently, proved they are no walkovers, battling back with a rousing finish, the return of Newton proving decisive.

Bai scored after Deacon's bomb created mass confusion in the Giants defence, leaving the scrum half to coolly equalise from wide out and then Hape got the winner.

Huddersfield imploded when Raleigh spilled in his own 20. Soon after, Kiwi Hape muscled over for his 18th of the season, giving the Bulls the edge again, Deacon once more booting brilliantly to put them in control with just three minutes to go.

Newton put Burgess powering in for a well-deserved first senior try to rub salt into the Giants' wounds and the panic was over.