Welham's five-star display as Bulls cut loose in stunning second-half show

KRIS Welham will never be Lesley Vainikolo; a thumping win at part-time Dewsbury cannot compensate for the days of old in Super League.

But in putting on such a formidable second-half show thanks to Welham’s five-try haul, the Bulls reignited hopes that they could yet be capable of returning to the big time.

Goodness knows they needed this result after their recent slump but nobody could have foreseen the margin of victory being so great.

Certainly not at half-time with the sides having gone it at hammer and tongs and with the scores finely poised at 14-12 in Bradford’s favour.

The second half was a different story as the visitors cut loose, with Welham adding to his first-half brace with three more tries after Omari Caro’s long-range double and Alex Mellor’s first-ever senior try had put the Bulls in complete control.

Jimmy Lowes?

He watched on from the stands after suffering from illness all week, but this kind of performance and result should serve as a welcome remedy to the Bulls head coach.

Welham’s sublime display of finishing saw him become the first Bradford player since the legendary Vainikolo to score five tries in a game over a decade ago.

The headlines will go to the former Hull KR star, but men such as Mitch Clark, Paul Clough and Dan Fleming were outstanding up front.

Lee Gaskell also showed glimpses of his best form and academy prospect Ross Oakes enjoyed a fine debut at right centre.

Indeed, it was a collective effort which saw Lowes’ men finally awake to the seriousness of their recent slump with an impressive statement of intent.

There was no mistaking the gulf in class during an utterly one-sided second half, but the Bulls were aided by three touches of good fortune en-route to victory.

The first came shortly before half-time when Gaskell intercepted Andy Kain’s pass to scamper clear and edge Bradford into a 14-12 interval lead.

Then shortly after the restart, Caro underlined his pace with two tries from deep in quick succession, both coming after the ball fell kindly into his path.

The Londoner, Super League’s Fastest Man in 2012, made no mistake as he outpaced the Rams’ defence to race clear.

Moments later, Jay Pitts embarked on a searing break through the heart of the Dewsbury rearguard and his perfectly-timed offload allowed the supporting Mellor to power clear from 20 metres out.

Those three tries in seven minutes effectively made it game over and put the Bulls 32-12 up and in total control.

It would be harsh on Dewsbury to say that the cigars were being passed around by Bradford’s players at that point.

But it would not be too far wide of the mark and Welham added three more scores to increase his growing popularity with the Bulls supporters, while James Clare also got in on the act.

It has to be remembered, though, that this match encounter hung firmly in the balance at half-time.

Lowes rang the changes following the home defeat to Sheffield seven days previously, with academy graduates Oakes, Ethan Ryan, Joe Lumb and Mellor all coming into the side.

With Adam O’Brien, Tom Olbison and Danny Addy also in the 17, that amounted to seven homegrown players on display.

Oscar Thomas, Johnny Campbell and Steve Crossley were all left out while Kurt Haggerty was missing with a knock.

Lumb was handed a starting role at hooker, with O’Brien named on the bench.

Oakes, an imposing physical presence who earned his chance after impressing for Matt Diskin’s Under-19s in recent weeks, enjoyed a solid game at right centre and played the full 80 minutes.

Yet the Bulls made a nightmare start as Dewsbury opened the scoring from their first attack inside the second minute.

Dale Ferguson was adjudged to have lost the ball on the visitors’ 30-metre line and the Rams capitalised from the subsequent scrum.

Former Bradford player Paul Sykes, so instrumental in Dewsbury’s recent Challenge Cup win over his old club, was pivotal in a move which saw him find Jason Crookes.

Bulls old boys Crookes then showed intelligence to find Dalton Grant and the winger touched down in the left corner for a try converted with aplomb by Sykes.

Yet the visitors, who had the wind at their backs in the first half, steadied themselves and Fleming was soon held up over the line.

Chances began to proliferate at both ends as Bradford continued to probe with Gaskell at the heart of everything and Welham an ever-willing run inside the left channel.

Sure enough, a handling error from the Rams gave Bradford a scrum which saw Welham collect possession and brush Kain aside before scampering clear into the left corner.

It was a fine individual score and prompted chants of "He's got ginger hair, but we don't care, walking in a Welham wonderland" from the Bulls supporters.

It would not be the last time the song would be aired during the opening 40 minutes.

Addy applied a superb touchline conversion to level things up at 6-6 and the match became an increasingly fiercely-contested, and at times fractious, encounter.

The hits grew in intensity as the half wore on and Jay Pitts was on the receiving end of a particularly heavy challenge which saw him dumped to the turf.

After regathering his senses, the Ossett lad was soon back on his feet and in the thick of things again.

Midway through the first half, Adrian Purtell’s loose pass failed to find Clare and Dewsbury broke upfield.

It came to nothing but the Rams soon had their second try when ex-Bradford academy player Farrell outmuscled the visiting defence to squeeze over from close range following a fine drive from replacement prop Jack Teanby.

Sykes’ second conversion made it 12-6 but Bradford hit back again when Gaskell’s pass sent Welham over in the left corner and Addy’s missed conversion left it at 12-10.

Kain's errant pass allowed Gaskell to collect possession on around the Bulls' 20-metre mark as half-time approached.

He needed no second invitation to sprint clear into the corner and put Bradford 14-12 up at the break.

The game swung in the Bulls' favour within the space of seven second-half minutes.

First, Kain's cross-field kick fell to Caro on Dewsbury's 10-metre line and outstripped the home defence to saunter clear.

Moments later, he broke clear when the ball ran loose and Caro again had too much speed for the Rams and, with Addy off the field, the winger converted them both.

Then Pitts broke Dewsbury's line superbly to find Mellor and the back-rower had too much pace for Crookes as he crossed for a try which Caro again improved.

Oakes then narrowly failed to collect a pass from Purtell which might have sent him clear before Welham completed his hat-trick after an excellent carry from Clark.

Clare, a solid presence at full back, then went over inside the left channel either side of two more well-taken finishes from Welham, again down the left edge.

That meant Bradford had scored 38 second-half points before Farrell, who gave absolutely everything for Dewsbury, grabbed his second late on.