ROHAN Smith was delighted after his Bulls reign kicked off with a hard-fought 25-14 victory at Sheffield.

Bradford trailed 14-6 early in the second half but they hit back as tries from Danny Williams, Adam Sidlow and Kris Welham sealed victory.

The only negative was a hamstring injury which forced Lee Gaskell off in the first half, making him a major doubt for next weekend's Summer Bash showdown with Leigh at Blackpool.

Smith said: "I'm very happy. It was a good, hard game of rugby and the boys really had to earn their victory. They stuck in there and we had to tackle really strongly at times.

"We were hard to handle in the first half but Sheffield defended well. In the second half, I felt if we kept carrying the ball strongly that we would eventually fall through a few tackles and get some points.

"What did I say at half-time? It was mainly the boys who did the talking and they covered the key points. I talked about having a little more patience in attack when we got close to their line.

"We were in a bit of a hurry and were a bit kick-happy, plus we had things to tidy up defensively, particularly on our right-hand side.

"I also commended them on their intent in the tackle against some very physical ball carriers."

Oscar Thomas impressed and took on added responsibility when Gaskell was forced off, necessitating a switch which saw Danny Addy moved to half back.

Thomas scored a try in the first half and it was Addy's delightful pass which sent Williams over the line in the second half.

"Oscar is quick on his feet and he really troubled Sheffield, especially in the first half," said Smith.

"I thought he managed the game quite well in the second half with some kicks into touch. He showed some really good composure, which complemented his running game."

Smith will now head to the Magic Weekend in Newcastle today and then take in Leigh's trip to Swinton tomorrow.

"I'll get in as many games as I can over the weekend," he said.

Meanwhile, Kurt Haggerty has signed a two-year deal extending his stay with the Bulls until the end of 2018.