Round 23
Bradford Bulls 50 d. Warrington Wolves 22

2006 English Super League Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: United Kingdom > National > First Grade Competition: English Super League

Bulls tame the Wolves at Grattan Stadium
Sat August 5, 2006
Source: www.bradfordbulls.co.uk

Bradford Bulls produced a sensational first-half masterclass to emphatically end their losing streak against engage Super League rivals Warrington.

Paul Cullen's Wolves had held the Indian sign over Bradford by winning the previous four encounters between the sides.

But Steve McNamara's men ran in six first-half tries to effectively seal the points before the break against a Warrington side featuring four former Bradford players.

Logan Swann, Stuart Reardon, Toa Kohe-Love and Chris Bridge all started for Warrington and the latter three even managed to get themselves on the scoresheet.

Yet this was a game which they will look back on with largely painful memories as Bradford ruthlessly punished the Wolves' shambolic first-half display.

The Bulls took their chances in clinical fashion and the fact that eight different players crossed the line highlighted their fluency in attack.

Warrington had threatened to make the first breakthrough when Michael Sullivan narrowly failed to collect Henry Fa'afili's inside pass.

Thereafter, Bradford dominated and quickly ran in three tries during a blistering eight-minute spell.

The Bulls almost opened the scoring after five minutes when Karl Pryce narrowly failed to finish off a four-man move in the left corner.

Barely 90 seconds later, though, they were celebrating as prop Andy Lynch showed delightful footwork to follow up his own short-range grubber and touch down.

Two minutes later, Bradford stormed further ahead when man-of-the-match Terry Newton's exquisite offload found Marcus Bai out wide on the left and his inside pass sent Pryce racing clear.

On the quarter hour mark, the impressive Iestyn Harris displayed brilliant vision to pick out Lesley Vainikolo with a teasing kick which allowed the New Zealand wing to touch down in the right corner.

The Bulls were dominant and Harris' break and offload sent Brad Meyers over the line after 24 minutes to leave Warrington stunned.

However, there was some respite for the Wolves after half an hour when Lee Briers converted a try from Bulls old boy Reardon but it was to prove temporary.

Indeed, another fine offload from Newton sent Stanley Gene over on 38 minutes before Shontayne Hape, from Vainikolo's offload, gave the Bulls their sixth try in first-half injury-time.

Warrington made a marked improvement after the break and caught Bradford cold in the 42nd minute when Bridge raced through unopposed to cross the line.

Briers failed to convert but his influence began to prove key for the Wolves who began to pin Bradford back for a sustained period of pressure.

And with 53 minutes played, Kohe-Love touched down Bridges' neat grubber before Briers added the extras.

But three minutes later the pendulum swung back towards Bradford as Paul Deacon sent prop Joe Vagana over the line.

Bridge then claimed his second try but two late tries from Newton, both of which Deacon converted for sixth and seventh goals, took Bradford to the 50-point mark and set the seal on a superb victory.

Report source: www.bradfordbulls.co.uk

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