Bradford Bulls to see key duo banned after Widnes cup clash

It was a largely positive afternoon for Bradford, with a derby win, progression into the cup quarter finals and no new injuries to speak of.

But two of their star men so far this season, hooker Mitch Souter and prop Eribe Doro, have been charged, and subsequently suspended, by the Rugby Football League, for late hits on Cougars forward Dan Parker.

Both players are free to face Widnes in the Betfred Challenge Cup fourth round at Odsal this Sunday, but the pair will be banned for the 1895 Cup quarter-final tie against Swinton.

Doro, suspended for two games to Souter’s one, will also miss Bulls’ Challenge Cup fifth round game or, if they don’t make it through this weekend, their Betfred Championship opener at Wakefield.

After this Sunday, Eribe Doro will go at least a fortnight without a game due to his upcoming suspension. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

O’Carroll told the T&A: “With the nature of the game at Keighley, the objective was just to win and get through to the quarter-finals, which is what we did.

“It wasn’t the prettiest of games and while I feel we dominated phases of it, there were parts of the match where Keighley were on top instead.

“When Cougars were in the ascendancy, we didn’t handle those moments as well as we’d have liked, and improvements do have to be made to our discipline, which is something we’ve addressed this week.”

O’Carroll added: “I understand that I’m demanding a lot from the group defensively, ensuring they pressure the opposition.

“I think we’ve been doing that well, and we did so again for the most part against Keighley, but it’s knowing to not cross that line, which we did a couple of times on Sunday.

“We’ve copped a couple of bans as a result, which isn’t great, but though we got it wrong on those occasions, no-one was hurt.

“But it’s still an area in which we’ve got to do better.”

Bulls will be looking to right some of those wrongs this Sunday against Widnes, where a win would be a real positive in more ways than one.

O’Carroll said: “The Challenge Cup is special, and like all Championship sides, we want to go as far as we can in it.

Bulls began their Challenge Cup campaign with a solid, if unspectacular, win over North Wales Crusaders, but want to go much further in the competition than just the fourth round. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

“Playing knockout games this early in the season is a bit different but it’s good because the intensity will keep increasing the deeper we go in these two competitions.

“The fact we’d have a fifth-round tie a week before our first league game against Wakefield probably acts as another little incentive to beat Widnes too.

“While we’d use the time off between Swinton and Wakefield wisely if we were knocked out on Sunday, we’re getting into a rhythm now playing games each week, and we’re looking in better shape for it.”

Widnes are increasingly looking in better shape themselves, with O’Carroll insisting they were unlucky to lose their 1895 Cup opener at Swinton, before their victories over Doncaster and North Wales in the last fortnight.

He said: “I’ve watched those games back and Widnes were competitive in all three.

“They made a statement with that Challenge Cup win over Doncaster in particular and even that Swinton defeat was a really intense and competitive game.

“In the end, it was probably only a couple of bounces of the ball for tries favouring Swinton that proved the difference.

“Widnes carry a threat and have a good style of play that we want to negate.”

O’Carroll admits that may have to be done without veteran half back Lee Gaskell, who is a slight doubt for the weekend with the illness that also caused him to sit out the Keighley clash.