Bulls 16 Wigan 28

It is a sign of Paul Deacon's standing in the game that more than 5,000 people turned out amid howling winds and slicing rain to watch his testimonial today.

Those supporters were never going to see a classic given the shocking conditions and there certainly was none of the drama witnessed the last time these sides met on that mad night last September when Bradford's Grand Final dream was cruelly ended.

But it was the first run-out of pre-season for most of the Bulls squad and it was clearly obvious, with players looking off the pace and having trouble with their handling.

A week's intensive training in Lanzarote may have taken some of the punch out of them as well while their opponents had clearly benefited from their first hit-out against Warrington a week earlier.

Bradford also suffered miserably on the injury front, with David Solomona carried off with a suspected cruciate ligament injury, try-scoring Semi Tadulala suffering a broken cheekbone and debutant Simon Finnigan limping away early with a groin strain.

Wigan were much sharper in the opening exchanges. The Bulls struggled to get out of their half in the first quarter, Paul Sykes, Finnigan and Tadulala all making fumbles.

Terry Newton also had a start to forget, kicking out on the full, then throwing a pass forward into touch before aiming another which blasted straight into Michael Platt's head.

His opposite number Micky Higham, the subject of a controversial swap-bid by Wigan involving Newton last week, fared much better.

He obviously had a point to prove to boss Brian Noble and it was his well-timed pass that put Harrison Hansen over for the game's first try on six minutes.

Higham zipped around with his customary speed while Trent Barrett and Thomas Leuluai controlled the game from half-back, pinning Bradford back with their kicking game and forcing the pressure every time the hosts coughed up possession.

But the Bulls struck with their first real attack of the match, Newton showing just why his boss Steve McNamara turned down that Wigan offer and does want to keep him.

Coming in at first man, Newton attacked the line before a brilliant delayed pass sent Sam Burgess careering through.

The Great Britain prop still had a bit to do but showed great finishing skills to stretch out of Pat Richards' last-ditch tackle, Deacon slotting the kick - making sure he got on the socreboard on his big day.

The scrum half, celebrating ten years, 236 games and 2,217 points with the Bulls, was at the heart of the try that handed his side a surprise lead.

Deacon put on a run-around with Iestyn Harris before delivering an impromptu kick to the left touchline which Tadulala gobbled up before streaking to the whitewash.

The former Wakefield winger proved the Bulls' most dangerous attacker before departing towards the end with that depressed fracture of the cheekbone following a mid-air collision with Wigan winger Liam Colbon.

Solomona had earlier been stretchered off on 43 minutes with an injury that could wreck the majority of his season.

Not long after the Kiwi's misfortune, suffered on the floor after making a tackle, Wigan, who had scored a second try through Sean Ainscough just before the break, took full control with two touchdowns in as many minutes.

The first came after the irrepressible Barrett had put his side on the front foot with an excellent 40/20.

New Samoan signing George Carmont nearly broke through from the scrum but slipped just before the line. However, Barrett's delicate kick in behind the Bulls defence saw 18 year-old winger Ainscough again beat Tame Tupou to the loose ball for the four-pointer.

Wigan struck again immediately from the re-start after Iafeta Palea'asina's tremendous off-load put Leuluai into space and Richards finished off.

Carmont got his debut score just after the hour mark but the Bulls - with Ben Jeffries impressing on debut after replacing Iestyn Harris - finished strongly.

Dave Halley got a try after good work from him and Newton while Deacon should have marked the occasion with a try of his own in the last few seconds but he spilled Craig Kopczak's off-load with the line at his mercy.

Deacon was presented with a Bulls/Wigan shirt by Warriors skipper Sean O'Loughlin beforehand and also received a memento from Bradford chairman Peter Hood but it was neither the skipper's day nor the Bulls.

McNamara said: "We'd have loved to help Deacs celebrate with a win and a big performance but sometimes fairytales just don't happen.

"It was hard for us coming back from Lanzarote to play in those conditions but I know we will get better and we've got squad that will do well."

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