Bradford Bulls dish out 13-try thrashing to Keighley Cougars

BULLS went try-crazy to demolish neighbours Keighley and strengthen their play-off position in an Odsal rout.

The points-hungry Bulls found an overcast south Bradford much more to their liking after feeling the heat in the scorching south of France last week.

A one-sided romp in the rubber match with the Cougars was the ideal way to bounce back from their uncomfortable trip to Toulouse.

On the club's "inclusivity" day, there was something for everyone to enjoy in the Bulls' display.

That defeat at Cougar Park back in March seems a lifetime ago.

The weakened visitors, now minus the likes of Dane Chisholm and Brenden Santi, were unrecognisable from the team that shocked their neighbours early in the season.

The Bulls will face much sterner tests in the coming weeks as they try to fine-tune for a play-off assault.

But you can only beat what’s put in front of you and they sure did that - and some - by dishing out the sort of hammering the Odsal faithful have not seen since the promotion year in League One.

The 13-try victory was their fifth under the interim command of Lee Greenwood - two of those against their BD rivals following the comeback success at the Summer Bash.

If that second-half at York five weeks earlier was pretty emphatic, it had nothing on the second 40 minutes here!

Former NRL winger Jorge Taufua bagged himself a hat-trick on his first appearance after joining the Bulls on a short-term deal to the end of the season.

Kieran Gill also grabbed a treble - all three of his tries coming in that points landslide in the second half.

Hull FC loanee Connor Wynne, who came in at full back for his debut after Jack Walker’s return to Hull KR had left them lacking experienced cover for the injured Tom Holmes, was one of three players to score twice.

The scoreboard makes painful reading for Keighley (Image: Tom Pearson.)

Brad England was able to make his 100th career appearance despite the red card in France. His ban takes him out of the upcoming trips to Widnes and Whitehaven.

But the Bulls were without injured duo Tom Holmes and Jordan Baldwinson, while Fenton Rogers had been recalled by Huddersfield.

The Bulls rattled up 32 unanswered points against Keighley in the Summer Bash and looked to carry on where they left off in a fast start.

Taufua went close to hauling in Dec Patton’s kick to the corner and Chester Butler knocked on a couple of metres out from the line.

Taufua was denied again by some desperate goalline defence as he raced onto Lee Gaskell’s long pass.

But the Bulls simply switched the play and Gaskell picked out Ben Blackmore to twist and claim the opening try.

They continued on the front foot and swiftly added a second score as the recalled AJ Wallace shook off a challenge and raced in from 35 metres.

Bodene Thompson, on his farewell appearance before heading back to New Zealand, went looking for a third try and Gill wasted a golden opportunity by trying to go himself rather than feeding the unmarked Taufua for a walk-in.

Gaskell looked a class above on his second Bulls “debut”, always finding time in possession to pick the pass or attack the corner.

Keighley were struggling to get any field position and found themselves staring down the barrel once more as Wynne burst through from Gaskell’s pass.

The full back’s dash had the visitors frantically back-pedalling and Dec Patton took advantage to pick out Taufua for the try he had been threatening.

The onslaught went on with a fourth score and second for Wallace, going in from close range after another assist from the influential Gaskell.

Keighley had not laid a finger on the home side but finally got a big lift when Brad Walker nailed a 40/20 to turn the teams round.

Their first real spell of pressure paid off with Dan Parker setting up Ellis Robson to get them on the board.

The Bulls celebrate another try as Ebon Scurr scores (Image: Tom Pearson.)

But any hope of mounting a comeback was snuffed out by a devastating burst of Bulls scoring early in the second half, clocking up five tries in the space of 11 minutes.

James Segeyaro created the first two of the those, sending in Ebon Scurr on a short pass and then jabbing a kick through for Wynne to enjoy a debut touchdown.

Taufua did not want to miss out on the fun and finished off a slick passing move for his second score before Gill made an angled dart to add to the tally.

Shell-shocked Keighley did not know what had hit them and suffered again when Gaskell looped a pass for Taufua to claim his hat-trick, Patton’s touchline conversion bringing up the 50.

The Bulls showed no sign of easing off and Patton sent Gill darting in for the 10th try - and sixth of the half - at the midway point.

Joe Arundel then burst through the creaking Cougar ranks and Blackmore was on his shoulder to add to his tally.

Keighley managed a late consolation with a good finish from Charlie Graham in the corner after Walker’s pass over the top.

But the Bulls ensured the last laugh when Gill rolled in for his hat-trick, Thompson then getting arguably the biggest cheer of the day when he slotted over the conversion.

And the vice-captain was spot on with a second kick on the hooter after Wynne had burst through for the 13th and final try.

Keighley’s frustration boiled over as Parker was then sent off for dissent amid the home celebrations.

BULLS: Wynne; Blackmore, Arundel, Gill, Taufua; Gaskell, Patton; Matongo, Lilley, Lawrence, Butler, Wallace, Thompson. Interchange: England, Scurr, Appo, Segeyaro.

COUGARS: Roby; Stephenson, Graham, Oakley, Laulu-Togaga’e; Walker, Spence; Bibby, Doyle, Everett, Robson, Adebiyi, Hird. Interchange: Gaylor, Levy, Parker, Atkinson.

BULLS MAN OF MATCH: AJ Wallace.