Bradford Bulls in spineless defeat to Newcastle Thunder

BEING thumped by runaway top two Featherstone and Leigh in the last few weeks was perhaps forgivable.

Leaking over 50 points at 10th placed Newcastle last night was not.

A spineless defensive performance, coupled with little invention in attack, left Bulls looking less like a play-off chasing outfit, and more like one fighting relegation.

Newcastle, skippered by the inspirational Josh Woods, just days after the death of his younger brother Ben, were faster, hungrier and a million miles better.

Magic Friday was just that for hosts Newcastle, while the Bulls players were just left wishing someone could make them disappear.

A poor start, the threat of a comeback, a sloppy end to the first half and then a humiliating performance after the break, which saw Bulls ship 29 points and score exactly zero, left Mark Dunning questioning whether many of his players even wanted to be at the club.

It was Newcastle’s Pride game, and with a feelgood atmosphere inside Kingston Park, they were 12-0 up after seven minutes.

Dec Patton wastefully kicked the ball out on the full in the opening moments, and Newcastle made the most of a set inside the Bulls half.

A poor mistake from Dec Patton early on set the tone for a dreadful night.

After some good attacking pressure, Woods spun a brilliant long pass out to Jack Johnson on the wing.

He barged over David Foggin-Johnston to go over in the corner, with Jake Shorrocks producing a brilliant conversion from the touchline.

Bulls soon got away with one. Sam Halsall bustled through, leaving Sam Hallas and Tom Doyle for dust, before being brought down by Samy Kibula.

The ball was recycled to Woods, whose long kick was gathered by Gideon Boafo, but he was stopped inches short by a combination of Patton and Kieran Gill on the last tackle.

Another brilliant move down the left saw the ball come to Johnson on the wing.

He ducked to the right past Foggin-Johnston and though he was brought down by Elliot Kear, Josh Eaves picked up the ball and drove over the line from close range, with Shorrocks converting.

Thunder second-row Alex Foster got 10 minutes in the bin for dissent, but Bulls were unable to score in that time, coming closest when Foggin-Johnston’s try was chalked off for a forward pass from Aaron Murphy.

Worse, as Foster trotted back on to the field, Shorrocks was lining up a penalty from dead centre after an offence by Doyle, blasting that over for 14-0.

Bulls did hit back though courtesy of a great move down the left.

Kear flicked a pass to Gill, who let the ball go quickly to Ryan Millar.

There was virtually no space to work in, but the former Sheffield man produced a full-length dive to squeeze over in the corner.

Patton’s kick from the touchline dropped short, but Bulls were soon gifted a second try.

It was a disaster for full-back Craig Mullen, who dropped Jordan Lilley's kick under pressure from Kibula, Murphy and Foggin-Johnston.

The ball popped up in the air for the latter, who strolled over under the posts, Patton converting.

Bulls were threatening a comeback when David Foggin-Johnston went over for this score.

Just as Bulls had got a foothold, Newcastle scored on the penultimate tackle five minutes before the break.

Shorrocks feinted to pass to the left, but instead ducked back inside. Kear and Ben Evans didn't do enough on the line and the half-back barged over before converting his own try.

Halsall then broke the line and stormed down the inside left, and only a brilliant flying tackle by Kear prevented the score.

A brilliant tackle by Elliot Kear did not keep Newcastle out for long.

But Bulls were soon caught out by a miss pass from Woods, and Halsall reeled it in, steamed through a gap from close range, and went under the posts, though Shorrocks missed an easy two-pointer.

Bulls were still only 24-10 down at the break, but they started the second half as badly as the first.

A flowing move down the left saw Halsall set Johnson storming away down the left. Kibula couldn't catch up with him and he flung himself clear of the covering defender and over the line.

Shorrocks nailed a superb kick from the touchline to make it 30-10.

Brad Day lost the ball right in front of the posts when another Newcastle try looked certain, but he soon made up for that, after being found by Shorrocks following a scrum and flopping over with ease for a converted score.

Thunder were now racking up tries at will, and a sweeping move down the right saw Mullen feed Boafo, who flew over in the corner despite a desperate lunge from Millar.

The Bulls fans and players looking despondent during a humiliating second half. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

Woods rubbed salt in the wounds further by stepping inside to slot a drop goal.

More dreadful defending saw Newcastle win a scrum after Foggin-Johnston knocked on, and after Shorrocks fed Foster, he skipped inside a couple of nothing tackles, and plunged over for a converted score.

Tom Forber slipped over from close range next to bring up Newcastle’s half-century, with Sam Hallas furiously kicking the ball away, as the Bulls capitulation continued.

Shorrocks converted that one, before a questionable challenge on Kear saw him get involved in an ugly scrap with Patton.

The Bradford half-back was perhaps lucky to only concede a penalty after pushing Shorrocks in the face, though the incident was placed on report.

More farcical scenes late on saw Bulls skipper Steve Crossley serenaded by ‘Sweet Caroline’ blaring out from the PA system, as he had to change his shirt after getting his face bloodied.

Steve Crossley's night went from bad to worse late on.

And after full-time, a few angry Bulls fans walked over from behind the posts and into the stands looking to confront unpopular chairman Nigel Wood face-to-face.

He wisely kept his distance from his opposition. A pity the Bulls players did the same thing all night too.

NEWCASTLE: Mullen, Boafo, Halsall, Hanley, Johnson, Shorrocks, Woods, Roberts, Eaves, Chapelhow, Foster, Day, Peachey.

Interchanges: Clark, Ta'ai, Gallagher, Forber.

BULLS: Kear, Foggin-Johnston, Murphy, Gill, Millar, Patton, Lilley, Baldwinson, Doyle, Crossley, Kibula, Wallace, Hallas.

Interchanges: Flanagan, Evans, Walker, Fleming.

BULLS MAN OF THE MATCH: Ryan Millar.