Gap in class shows as Wakefield dent Bradford Bulls promotion hopes

THERE have been a few indignities heaped on the Bulls in recent times.

Take last season’s 84-6 club-record defeat at Wigan, the abject surrender at Catalans or the pasting at Salford that cost Francis Cummins his job.

Saturday’s first-half performance was as bad as it gets.

A match with so much riding on it should have brought out the best in the Bulls.

In fact, it brought out their worst, and in front of a live Sky audience too.

Wakefield are officially Super League’s worst team after finishing bottom of the table after 23 rounds.

That is not being disrespectful. That is a fact.

Yet they had no problems whatsoever sweeping Jimmy Lowes’ men aside with ridiculous ease.

It was painful to watch as Wakefield ran in five tries to lead 30-0 after just 27 minutes.

The defending ranged from soft to non-existent as a Wildcats side playing under former Bulls coach Brian Smith were made to look like world beaters.

Wakefield’s pack simply trampled the Bulls underfoot, with home skipper Nick Scruton enjoying an outstanding game on his 250th career appearance.

The former Bulls prop’s performance was a reminder of the devastating impact that last year’s slide into administration caused.

It led the former Leeds man, Garreth Carvell and Jarrod Sammut to exit Odsal as the Bulls went on to get relegated during a disastrous period in the club’s history.

The effects of that continue to be felt, with the Bulls now staring at the grim prospect of another year in the Championship unless Lowes can engineer a major improvement in the next five games.

Turning around this shambles will take some doing, but new recruit Dane Nielsen will make his debut against Salford on Sunday and should give the team a lift.

Nielsen was deemed not yet ready to play at Wakefield, having arrived from Australia seven days earlier, but there was rarely much of a platform for the Bulls to play off.

The dominance of Wakefield’s pack was highlighted by the fact that the Wildcats’ first four tries were scored by forwards.

That physicality allowed Tim Smith and Jacob Miller to orchestrate affairs in the halves.

“Tim Smith could have played with a dinner jacket on,” admitted Lowes afterwards.

The Wildcats were superior in every department but it was the speed of Wakefield’s general play that most stood out.

Quite simply, the Bulls could not cope with it.

If this was the difference between Super League and the Championship, then it was quite some gulf.

Had Lee Gaskell still been on the pitch in the second half, then the Bulls might have made the game interesting after Dale Ferguson’s converted try made it 30-12.

Probably not, though, as Wakefield hit back with three more tries to reassert their authority.

There was talk beforehand that Wakefield were too bad to stay up.

On this evidence they are too good to go down.

The influence of Brian Smith was clear for all to see.

His men looked fitter, faster and stronger than the Bulls – and certainly more up for it.

Wakefield needed just six minutes to open the scoring as Tim Smith put Jon Molloy through a huge gap close to the Bradford line.

Lee Smith added the extras and then had an easier conversion after the impressive Michael Sio finished off Miller's break, with the video referees called on to sign the try off.

A dismal start for the Bulls got even worse when Gaskell was forced off with a back injury sustained after colliding with a post as he tried to prevent the try.

Harry Siejka came on to replace him but Wakefield soon made it three tries in the opening 12 minutes as Simon collected a Tim Smith pass before beating two defenders and crashing over.

The Bulls fashioned an opening when Omari Caro found himself in space down the right flank but he opted to kick inside and could not find a team-mate.

Chances, possession and decent field position were all too scarce for the Bulls as they struggled to escape their own half.

Scruton then marked a fine performance with a try after taking Sio's pass and benefiting from yet more soft Bradford defence.

The off-field officials had the final say on Scruton's effort but there was no doubt when Smith touched down after strolling through another gaping hole.

Smith maintained his 100 per cent record to make it 30-0 and then epitomised Wakefield's new-found confidence by preventing Siejka's penalty from finding touch before starting a Wildcats counter-attack with a flick pass to namesake Tim.

The home side's momentum was checked by Purtell's try seven minutes from the break after enterprising play by the Bulls, who crossed first after the restart as Ferguson barged his way over from James Clare’s pass.

Danny Addy converted both from out wide and then Lee Smith kicked a routine penalty.

The four-score cushion sparked the Wildcats back into life and they made the points safe when Reece Lyne raced clear to score after good work by former Bulls loanee Anthony Mullally and Miller.

Ashurst got his name on the scoresheet after taking Tim Smith's pass close to the line, although Lee Smith took some of the gloss off his own personal performance by missing his first conversion.

Miller went under the sticks for a try his performance merited but Clare – who went to the wing late on with Caro switching to full back – had the last word when he strolled in on the final hooter.

But the game had long since ended as a serious contest and the sight of Matt Ryan going off injured was another concern for Lowes.

Wakefield winger Richard Owen was taken off on a stretcher after receiving gas and air during the second half.

The early prognosis was a double fracture of his lower leg, a similar injury to the one he sustained to his other leg early in his career.

In the closing stages of his team's victory, Wakefield chairman Michael Carter walked around the home terraces grinning from ear to ear as he gave the thumbs up to fans.

Bulls counterpart Marc Green was gracious in defeat and took to Twitter to say: “Total respect to Wakefield as we came up as a quality Super League team.”

He hit the nail on the head there: this was Super League versus the Championship. And it showed.