McDermott: Bulls are better team than last campaign

IT was perhaps not what Bulls head coach Jimmy Lowes said afterwards which resonated most, but those words uttered by Leeds counterpart Brian McDermott.

“I thought Bradford were very good,” said the former Bulls prop.

“They defended very well and were very challenging with the ball, without trying to be the Harlem Globetrotters.

“I spoke to Lowesy afterwards and he’s clearly adding things to Bradford and making progress with them.

“They are definitely a better team than they were last season.”

High praise indeed, and with good reason.

It does not get much tougher than Leeds away in your opening pre-season friendly.

Yet the Bulls played with conviction during the opening 40 minutes and more than matched last season’s treble winners.

They led 12-10 at the break courtesy of two delightful tries from debutant Kris Welham and Adam O’Brien.

As a raft of replacements began to be made during the second half, the pendulum swung heavily in the Rhinos’ favour.

Leeds scored four second-half tries without reply in Carl Ablett’s testimonial match but there were no shortage of positives to take from this Bradford display.

New recruits Oscar Thomas, Welham, Ben Kavanagh, Kurt Haggerty and Jonathan Walker all showed promising signs, while Rhys Jacks staked his claim for a contract with a lively second-half display.

Not surprisingly, Lee Gaskell, Danny Addy and Adam O’Brien knitted the Bulls together superbly during their team’s vibrant first-half performance.

Although skipper Adrian Purtell and prop Paul Clough were missing with knocks, this was still something approaching the Bulls’ strongest line-up.

Mitch Clark, Johnny Campbell and James Mendeika will remain sidelined for some time yet, but the Bulls’ line-up encouraged hopes of offering Leeds a serious challenge.

With Jake Mullaney having left Bradford at the end of last season, it was a chance for Thomas to stake a claim for the full back berth.

Leeds were not far off full strength themselves with Stevie Ward and Jamie Jones-Buchanan their only notable absentees.

Ablett had listed a Leeds ‘Dream Team’ of team-mates down the years and included the likes of Zak Hardaker, Kallum Watkins, Joel Moon, Ryan Hall, Danny McGuire and Rob Burrow, all of whom started yesterday.

That said much for the strength of the Leeds side but the Bulls did not seem fazed in the slightest.

The Rhinos threatened first inside the third minute when some typically slick handling saw Adam Cuthbertson and McGuire combine to find Watkins, who could not keep the ball in play.

Tom Briscoe had a try disallowed after he intercepted a Gaskell pass and raced clear from 40 metres to cross, but Watkins was adjudged to have palmed the ball into his path.

With Gaskell, Addy and O’Brien all combining well, it was no real surprise when the Bulls edged ahead in the 13rd minute.

Some neat handling involving Gaskell and Addy saw the ball worked to Welham 20 metres out.

The close-season signing from Hull KR showed ambition and no little skill to drive at the heart of the Leeds defence and stab a grubber kick forward.

He was quicker to the ball than any Rhinos player as he raced forward to touch down his own kick for a fine individual effort.

The try delighted the several hundred Bradford supporters behind the posts on the Western Terrace and Addy’s conversion made it 6-0.

Alex Mellor, who put in a fine opening stint in his favoured position of loose forward, was replaced by former Rhinos season-ticket holder Jay Pitts.

But Leeds hit back in the 18th minute when they worked the ball out from a scrum and advanced downfield inside the right channel, with McGuire supporting Briscoe’s break on the blindside and scampering clear to score.

It was classic McGuire support play and moments later Walker came on to replace Kavanagh in the front row.

The Bradford lad, who spent his formative years in the Bulls’ academy, wasted no time making his presence felt.

He caught Brad Singleton with a late shot which earned Leeds a penalty, sparked a minor melee and led to a spell of sustained pressure on the Bulls’ line.

In fairness to Bradford, they held the Super League champions out for two successive sets, showing the kind of desire to protect their line which will be needed in next season’s Qualifiers.

Having kept the Rhinos at bay, Bradford grabbed their second try in the 26th minute when more neat handling deep in Leeds territory culminated in Gaskell’s delicate offload inviting O’Brien to cross the line.

The Bulls hooker needed no second invitation to dart over and score against the club he was heavily linked with during the off-season.

It was a fine effort and Addy’s second goal made it 12-4 before Leeds, with former Bulls loanee Liam Sutcliffe having come off the bench, cranked up the pressure as the interval approached.

They continued to probe for openings and Bradford’s defence held firm until the 36th minute when Briscoe finished off good work from McGuire and Watkins in the right corner.

Welham took a knock as half-time approached but he was fine to continue and the second half saw Jacks given 40 minutes alongside Gaskell.

Jacks immediately sought to take the Leeds line on with some impish runs but the momentum gradually swung inexorably in the hosts’ favour.

Hall finished off some scintillating handling in the left corner and Mitch Achurch barged over from close range after good work from former Sutcliffe.

The ubiquitous Burrow then dummied through the Bulls defence on halfway and outpaced Thomas to score in the left corner for another stunning score.

New Leeds hooker Beau Falloon then added a sixth home try from acting half in the closing stages before testimonial man Ablett missed the conversion.

Youngsters Ethan Ryan and Joe Lumb were among the 11 replacements who came off the bench, with Lumb particularly impressive.

All in all, it was a hugely encouraging afternoon for the Bulls, who picked up no injury knocks as they prepare to host Castleford at Odsal this Sunday.