Castleford Tigers 28 Bradford Bulls 18 Bradford slipped to defeat in their first pre-season outing after being outscored by six tries to four at the PROBIZ Coliseum.
Bulls coach Mick Potter saw his men make a dream start when wing Jason Crookes plunged over in the left corner inside the opening minute.
Potter's men, far from at full-strength but bolstered by the inclusion of trialist Phil Joseph, were vibrant during the opening exchanges.
Yet they gradually slipped back into the same old habits from last season as penalties were conceded, passes were misplaced and tackles were missed, allowing Castleford to hit back through Josh Griffin and Josh Atkinson and lead 10-4 ahead at the break.
Bulls responded shortly after the restart through Chev Walker's well-worked try but Castleford simply moved through the gears and claimed three further scores through Ben Johnston, Steve Nash while Atkinson and Griffin both struck again.
The Bulls replied late on through Bryn Hargreaves and Shaun Ainscough.
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