Featherstone edge Bradford Bulls 16-12 in second friendly

THE Bulls suffered a narrow defeat at Featherstone in their second pre-season outing.

It finished three tries apiece but the visitors were unable to land any of their conversions – all pretty much from the touchline.

Pride aside, the result is immaterial at this stage and there were more good signs at the start of a year that the Bulls can look forward to with genuine hope again.

Featherstone have had to pull up the drawbridge a bit for the coming campaign after some ambitious but ultimately fruitless attempts to gatecrash Super League.

Their lack of available numbers compared with the Bulls highlighted that – although there is still plenty of quality in the ranks. If you finish above them this year, you know you’re doing well.

On the back of the Halifax pre-season opener, it was another useful benchmark for Eamon O’Carroll building towards the real stuff.

Back row John Davies was one of the new faces for the Bulls having missed Christmas Eve through illness.

It was a strange occasion for him lining up against the club where he had an eight-year stint.

AJ Wallace, meanwhile, was sensing déjà vu from the home ranks as he starts a dual-reg loan with Featherstone from Hull KR.

O’Carroll gave a first run-out in pre-season to Ben Blackmore, Joe Arundel and Ebon Scurr. There was also a senior debut for youngster Sam Ackroyd.

Featherstone took seven minutes to open their account.

Dan Addy was held up under the sticks after a switch pass from Connor Jones. But the Bulls were stretched on their right side as Brad Day found a hole to go over.

But the Bulls responded immediately with a flowing passing move sending in Jorge Tafua by the corner.

Good defence from the visitors bundled Charlie Harris into touch after a darting run towards the line.

Fev thought they had scored when Harris followed in a grubber from Thomas Lacans but he did not apply sufficient downward force.

Eribe Doro launched an explosive break to set the Bulls on the attack. Fev were forced to drop out but Tafua’s ambitious kick towards the post eluded the leaping Billy Jowitt.

But the Bulls went in front on 34 minutes with a score on the other wing.

Lee Gaskell drilled a bouncing low kick towards the corner flag where Ben Blackmore was waiting to nonchalantly touch down.

There weren’t many travelling Bulls fans – around 250 were watching the live feed at Odsal – but their team were putting in a shift to go in two points up at the break.

Playing down the hill for the second half, the Bulls wasted no time in taking advantage. Another flurry of quick passes whisked the ball wide again for Tafua to bag his second try.

Jowitt, having missed two touchline attempts, passed the kicking duties back to Jordan Lilley but his effort also drifted wide.

Featherstone levelled things up 10 minutes into the half.

Ben Blackmore places his try for the Bulls' second score (Image: Tom Pearson.)

Davies was completely wrong-footed by a sudden change of direction from Frenchman Lacans to stroll through unharmed for their second try. Ben Reynolds slotted the simple extras to make it all square.

George Flanagan, who had come on at the break, thought he had restored the Bulls’ lead. But his effort was ruled out by ref Ben Thaler for something involving Doro. It was difficult to see what was wrong.

Lacans tried the same trick as before and it nearly paid off, dropping the shoulder to fool the Bulls defence before he was halted just before the line.

Thaler ruled the tackle from Jowitt to be a high one and he was sent to the sin bin.

Featherstone went back in front against the 12-man Bulls on 65 minutes with Reynolds looping a pass wide for Ollie Farrar to score another try in the corner.

The contest understandably got scruffier as time ticked away.

Lilley stood up a kick into the mix near the home line which caused panic as the ball popped about like a hot potato before Thaler gave Featherstone the benefit of a considerable doubt.

FEATHERSTONE: Harris; Wacokecoke, Wynne, Minikin, Gale; Reynolds, Lacans; Springer, Jones, Kamano, Day, Wallace, Addy. Interchange: Bowes, Arnold, Roberts, Tomlinson, Farrar, Hassard.

BULLS: Jowitt; Blackmore, Myers, Gill, Tafua; Gaskell, Lilley; Doro, Souter, Okoro, Davies, Butler, Hallas. Interchange: M Scurr, Arundel, Adams, Oakes, Moss, England, Flanagan, Barraclough, Waites, Appo, E Scurr, Ackroyd.