IT was not a case of third time lucky this season for Bulls against Wakefield today, as the runaway Betfred Championship leaders came away from Odsal with a scrappy 14-2 win to make it 15 league victories from 15.
All eyes are on football and England in their Euro 2024 final tonight, but this afternoon was all about rugby league in BD6 and a match between two of the sport’s most famous names.
An early clash of heads between Sam Hallas and Ky Rodwell, which left both needing bandaged up, set the tone for a bruising encounter.
Josh Griffin mishandled a couple of metres out under pressure from Zac Fulton, with the two second rows also colliding and needing some running repairs.
And in a game full of hard-nosed defending and few chances, it was no surprise that Bulls took an easy two points to open the scoring 15 minutes in, Jordan Lilley knocking the ball between the sticks after Wakefield were penalised for offside in front of their own line.
Jordan Lilley lines up what turned out to be Bulls' only points of the afternoon. (Image: Tom Pearson.)
Keven Appo almost powered through from 10 metres out but was held up over the line and moments later, a knock on from Fulton and a penalty conceded for offside meant Wakefield had a lucky escape.
And they made Bulls pay, as after a good Trinity attack down the left was stopped by a crunching challenge from Jayden Okunbor on Oliver Pratt, the latter got the better of the former moments later.
Max Jowitt’s dab through from a few metres out saw Pratt get the better of a dozing Okunbor, and the Wakefield centre grounded the ball just before it went dead.
Jowitt swung the conversion just inside the left post for 6-2 and he soon landed an easy penalty after a clumsy late tackle from Ebon Scurr on Rodwell close in.
Ebon Scurr took came up with a costly error to hand Wakefield the chance to extend their advantage just before the break. (Image: Tom Pearson.)
A messy half came to a very messy end, as referee Marcus Griffiths signalled for a penalty to Wakefield after the hooter for an infringement against Pratt a few metres out only to change his mind.
Griffiths was again under the microscope early in the second half, not giving what appeared to be a tip tackle on Lilley, the third one Bulls had appealed for in the match, before awarding a couple of penalties to Wakefield.
The second of those was deemed to be a ball steal as Appo and Tom Holmes made a tackle just in front of their own line.
Jowitt knocked over the easy penalty to put Wakefield into double figures, and he soon had the kicking tee back out after a needless late tackle from Mitch Souter on Luke Gale.
The full back nailed his kick from 20 metres out on the right to give his side a 12-2 advantage.
Some of the penalties given against Bulls today were controversial, but Mitch Souter could have few complaints about the one he conceded to gift wrap another two points to Wakefield. (Image: Tom Pearson.)
The crowd were then left furious after Griffiths controversially deemed Eribe Doro to have high tackled Caleb Uele.
The Bulls prop went for 10 minutes in the bin as a result, Jowitt landing a long-range penalty to put his side 14-2 in front.
Tom Doyle then smashed into Lilley with a tackle that looked late and high and from the resulting penalty, Bradford came agonisingly close to a try with some gorgeous hands on the right, only for Okunbor to be deemed to have put a foot in touch as he dived over in the corner.
And with Doro back on, Bulls almost scored again, as Gill took advantage of a loose pass on halfway and kicked through towards the Wakefield line, only to be beaten in the foot race by the rapid Jowitt, who dived to knock the ball out for a goal line dropout.
The game petered out thereafter, with even some late handbags after a tackle on Hallas quickly being quelled with no further punishment for either side.
The real punishment for Bulls was their first defeat since late May, with their buffer in the play-offs down to five points, after chasing Widnes, Featherstone, York and Batley all won.
BULLS: Holmes, Okunbor, Lehmann, Gill, Taufua, Ott, Lilley, Bayliss, Souter, Doro, Fulton, Davies, Hallas. Interchanges: Appo, Mason, Scurr, Peposhi. 18th man: Myers.
WAKEFIELD: Jowitt, Walmsley, Croft, Pratt, Olpherts, Gale, Kaye, Rodwell, Doyle, Ashurst, Thornley, Griffin, Pitts. Interchanges: Uele, Shaw, Smith, Booth. 18th man: Franco.
BULLS MAN OF THE MATCH: Sam Hallas.
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