Hardly Rams to the slaughter but Bulls get the job done

ANOTHER harsh reminder about life in the Championship, another huge away following and, crucially, another victory for the Bulls.

It is eight straight wins and counting since that opening-day defeat at Leigh on February 15.

The superior fitness levels and quality of Jimmy Lowes’ side told in the final quarter as three late tries put paid to an admirable effort from Dewsbury.

The hour mark had passed and, with the Bulls leading only 16-12, Glenn Morrison’s feisty part-timers were scenting a famous victory.

Bradford had other ideas, as Ryan Shaw crossed the line before a late double from Danny Addy ensured the points went the visitors’ way.

The performance of referee George Stokes had both sides scratching their heads at times but the Bulls withstood the officiating and indeed the loss of Danny Williams (groin) and Chev Walker (knee) to emerge victorious.

The usual protagonists stood tall; Addy, the outstanding Jay Pitts, Adrian Purtell, Shaw and front-rowers Paul Clough and Adam Sidlow, while Lee Gaskell and Harry Siejka showed signs that their partnership is perhaps beginning to flourish.

The glorious sunshine brought the Bulls fans out in force once again and the 4,068 crowd created a new record attendance at the Tetley’s Stadium since it was opened in 1994.

But it was never going to be easy against a Dewsbury outfit who had clearly been pumped up for the match by former Bulls forward Morrison.

The ambitious Rams boss has spoken of his desire to coach in Super League, and the progress that Dewsbury have made under his guidance was clear to see yesterday.

With the Bulls having lost Dale Ferguson, Tom Olbison and Jean-Philippe Baile to injuries during the Good Friday win over Halifax, it was not the strongest line-up that Dewsbury could have faced.

Walker was fit to return and Lowes also handed opportunities to Lucas Walshaw in the second row and a competitive debut off the bench at hooker for Vila Halafihi.

Etu Uaisele returned on the wing in place of Chris Ulugia while the Rams included ex-Bulls Karl Pryce and Jason Crookes in their line-up.

Dewsbury v Bulls picture gallery

Pryce, who works as a postman in Bradford these days and is carrying a bit more timber now than in his Super League prime, lined up at full back.

Crookes played in the centres and, while Bradford always looked capable of moving through the gears when the opportunities arose, it was clear those opportunities would be at a premium.

Morrison’s men defended like demons and had a very useful scrum half in Anthony Thackeray.

The Bulls fashioned the first opening inside the first minute when Adam Henry’s neat pass sent Uaisele racing clear down the right flank.

Dewsbury winger Dalton Grant halted his progress and moments later the hosts forced a drop-out from a high bomb by Thackeray.

Thackeray’s short pass then found Scott Hale and the Rams centre was held up by a combination of Gaskell and Williams.

At the other end, Shaw was denied after taking a clever inside pass from Williams, who had been found by Purtell.

It took two Dewsbury defenders to halt Shaw’s progress and Sidlow was then denied from close range.

The opening score came in the 12th minute and it had been on the cards given the mounting pressure that Bradford had begun to enjoy.

Stokes awarded the Bulls a penalty and some neat handling culminated in Siejka and Gaskell combining effectively inside Dewsbury’s 20-metre line.

The ball was worked out to Pitts and the classy second-rower was on hand to touch down inside the right channel.

Adam O’Brien was typically at the heart of everything for the Bulls, making quick play-the-balls and also running hard at the opposition defence from dummy half.

Lowes has said he would like to see O’Brien take on the opposition line more and he showed signs of heeding his coach’s advice against the club where he enjoyed a successful spell on dual-reg in 2013.

Midway through the first half, Morrison brought on veteran powerhouse prop Makali Aizue, who ruffled a few feathers with a few huge carries.

Aizue was held up as he attempted to barrel his way over as the Bulls were forced to dig deep to defend their line at times.

Chances continued to proliferate at the other end, with Clough narrowly failing to collect a short pass from O’Brien close to the Dewsbury line.

In the 26th minute, Pryce incurred the wrath of Gaskell after catching Williams as both men contested a clever kick from Gaskell in the left corner.

Gaskell pointed an accusing finger at the Rams full back but Pryce protested his innocence and claimed he was simply playing the ball.

Five minutes before the break, Hale almost grounded another kick from Thackeray but moments later, with Halafihi having just replaced O’Brien, Bradford grabbed their second try.

It stemmed from another penalty against Dewsbury for a late shoulder charge as more slick Bradford handling led to Pitts finding Henry inside the right channel, with the New Zealander’s pass sending Uaisele diving over in the right corner.

On the stroke of half-time, Dewsbury were handed a major boost, quite literally, by the Bulls when Gaskell’s over-ambitious pass was caught by Morton.

He showed impressive pace to race over 60 metres and converted his own score but the Bulls grabbed their third try of the game four minutes after the restart. Gaskell grounded the ball among a thicket of players but a 16-6 lead was not a comfortable one for Lowes and his players.

Far from it.

Dewsbury roused themselves again and, in the 55th minute, Byron Smith attempted to force his way under the posts and Stokes awarded a try despite suspicions he had not grounded the ball.

Morton’s conversion cut the Bulls’ lead to four points but the visitors slowly wrested back control of the match, despite losing Williams and Walker to injury, which saw Henry moved to the wing and Walshaw to centre.

In the 68th minute, an excellent handling sequence saw the ball go through O’Brien, Gaskell and Purtell and culminated in Shaw touching down in the left corner.

Addy then bundled his way over the line in the 72nd minute and added his second soon after to ensure Crookes’ last-minute score was no more than a consolation.