DEWSBURY 16 BULLS 46

THAT’LL do for starters! The Bulls are off and running after raising the Championship curtain with a comfortable victory at Dewsbury.

They ran in eight tries at their “home from home” at the Tetley’s Stadium to open the campaign with the two points for the first time in three years.

It was a convincing way to begin the real stuff and the large army of travelling fans saw plenty to cheer.

Familiarity with their surroundings was not quite the advantage for the Bulls that some might have thought.

With the high turnover of players over the winter, nearly half of the 17 on duty had not been involved in a Bulls home game there.

There had, in fact, only been six home league fixtures at the Tetley’s Stadium because of the pandemic – the last being that brutal 60-point lesson from Toulouse in September.

John Kear handed out six debuts on opening day with first outings for Kieran Gill, Dec Patton, AJ Wallace, Jordan Baldwinson and Leeds loan duo Muizz Mustapha and Corey Johnson.

Aaron Murphy and Ebon Scurr missed out with knocks suffered in last week’s friendly against the Rhinos. There was also no Elliot Hall and Jordan Lilley as they continue their rehab.

The Bulls were quickly up and running after AJ Wallace forced a Dewsbury fumble. It was high-fives all round for the youngster before the visitors took full advantage.

Big carries from Ant Walker took them close and set up a switch in play as Elliot Kear’s grubber was grounded in the corner by a diving Matty Dawson-Jones.

A high shot on Kear created another scoring opportunity and, as the Bulls maintained the pressure to force a knock-on, they struck for a second time.

Again it came down their right, quick hands from half backs Dec Patton and Billy Jowitt sending Dawson-Jones over once more. Patton was spot on with both touchline kicks.

A high hit from Thomas Doyle on former Bulls academy team-mate Reiss Butterworth on halfway allowed Dewsbury to lift the early siege.

But they blew the chance to get on the board as Jason Walton hurled a loose pass straight out of play.

Back came the Bulls for a third try midway through the half. George Flanagan was cut down in full flow five metres out but there was no stopping Patton’s show and go from dummy half on the next play.

Dewsbury needed a break and tried to pin Dawson-Jones in the in-goal from a bouncing kick. But the winger did well to wriggle out of any trouble.

The Rams did eventually break their duck from a run of six successive sets because of penalties.

Former Bulls Ross Peltier and Reiss Butterworth were both held up over the line – before Peltier eventually bulldozed his way over to break the defensive resolve and celebrated enthusiastically amid a few boos from the travelling fans.

But the Bulls had time to respond before the hooter. Mustapha and Thomas Doyle led the charge up-field before Kear claimed their fourth try.

And like the first half, they needed just three minutes after the restart to strike again.

Wallace again demonstrated why his coach is such a big fan with an explosive burst and David Foggin-Johnston, who had not seen that much of the ball on the left wing, was on his shoulder to take in the score.

Wallace then helped himself to a try of his own with a sizzling individual effort, scooping up the loose ball on his own 40 and bombing 60 yards with the home defence trailing in his wake.

It was the most popular score of the day with his team-mates and the fans.

There was a setback when Mustapha looked in some trouble and had to be helped from the pitch and straight down the tunnel.

But the smiles were soon back as Patton picked out Kear and his long pass was taken by Gill who dummied his way in behind the posts.

Now trailing 40-6 and the game long gone, Dewsbury belatedly sparked into life.

Prop Jimmy Beckett forced his way over by the posts and they then made it two tries in as many minutes when Matty Beharrell’s deep pass was well claimed by the diving Lewis Carr in the corner.

But the Bulls had the final say when Gill pounced on a fumbled high kick to stroll in for his second try.

DEWSBURY: Sweeting; Gabriel, Ryder, Dixon, Carr; Smith, Beharrell; Butterworth, Kidd, Beckett, Walton, Knowles, Schofield. Interchange: Speakman, Tomlinson, Peltier, Ferguson.

BULLS: Kear; Dawson-Jones, R Evans, Gill, Foggin-Johnston; Jowitt, Patton; Walker, Flanagan, Crossley, Wallace, England, Doyle. Interchange: Johnson, Baldwinson, Mustapha, Fleming.

BULLS MAN OF MATCH: AJ Wallace