Bradford Bulls charge to record winning league margin

A HURRICANE of change is beginning to howl through Odsal, with a raft of departures on and off the field and new faces emerging.

Gone is Bulls legend Robbie Hunter-Paul, following Jimmy Lowes and Steve Ferres through the exit door after just over three years in an administrative role.

The only key figure left in the hierarchy is chairman Marc Green and nobody can say with any certainty how long he will be around for either.

Green arrived back from his holiday in Ibiza last week and was in attendance here, yet speculation continues over whether he will relinquish power with the next pay-day looming.

Going, too, at the end of the season will be over 20 players from the current squad.

It is a seismic overhaul and at least seven of the men on display yesterday will not be Bradford players next year.

Take Tom Olbison, Jay Pitts, Danny Williams, Epalahame Lauaki and Steve Crossley, who all got on the scoresheet in some form in the biggest winning margin of victory in a league game in the club's history.

The visit of Oldham in the third round of the Championship Shield also provided a glimpse into the future in that debutant Joe Keyes staked a claim to be Dane Chisholm's regular half-back partner.

The 20-year-old impressed during an utterly dominant display from Rohan Smith's men – which was illuminated by Kris Welham's second five-try haul of the season, taking his tally to 25.

There was another big positive in that homegrown back-rower James Bentley made his debut off the bench in the second half.

Scott Naylor's visitors were firmly on the back foot from the off and a 34-0 interval lead was a fair reflection of Bradford's control.

An impressive early kick from Keyes turned Oldham around and forced a scrum ten metres from the visitors' line.

That drew warm applause from the home faithful and Keyes soon emerged as a pivotal figure, knitting play together along with Chisholm and hooker Adam O'Brien.

The opening try came in the fourth minute as Oldham's resistance was ended when O'Brien and Chisholm combined to find Danny Addy on the visitors' 20-metre line.

Addy found Welham and the former Hull KR man expertly danced his way through a leaden-footed defence to cross the line from close range.

It underlined his class in a season when there have been too few players who have stepped up to the plate like he has.

Still, Hull KR's loss has certainly been Bradford's gain and keeping him at Odsal in 2017 will be vital.

The Bulls grabbed their second try in the 12th minute when Olbison collected possession inside the left channel and showed impressive strength to power through a gap in the Oldham defence and cross the line.

Olbison is still searching for a club for next season, with his services apparently surplus to requirements at Bradford.

Keyes applied a superb touchline conversion before Oldham began to enjoy a brief spell of concerted pressure which harvested several repeat sets, almost harvesting a try for second-rower Gary Middlehurst.

He was held up over the line and appeared to kick out at a Bulls player, sparking a minor melee which thankfully did not develop into anything more serious.

Crossley came on to replace Ben Kavanagh in the front row and soon after the Bulls had their third try when Addy's short pass sent Welham over in the left corner.

This time Keyes could not convert but the one-way traffic continued as Williams unselfishly ushered Pitts over the line inside the right channel in the 29th minute.

Oldham lost centre Sam Gee to a serious-looking injury and moments later Pitts grabbed his second when he took Keyes' perfectly-timed short pass to bustle over inside the right channel again.

It was two tries in four minutes for Pitts and underlined just what the Bulls will be missing next season.

Pitts is joining Adrian Purtell at London on a two-year deal and is a player who has given great value for money these past two-and-a-half years.

That is certainly not something that could be said about every member of this year's squad and some supporters would put Lauaki in that category.

Yet the prop has enjoyed something of a renaissance since Smith took the reins in May after falling down the pecking order under Lowes.

Four minutes before the break, Lauaki took a pass from Kieren Moss and, with a nice piece of footwork, dashed over the line from close range.

It was a nice moment for the departing forward and he was mobbed by his team-mates in celebration.

With Keyes converting five of the Bulls' six first-half tries, Smith's men were 34 points up at the break and in total control.

It took just three minutes for Bradford to extend their advantage after the restart as a delightful 40-20 from Chisholm led to the France international scampering over the line himself from that set.

Crossley was then held up over the line before Chisholm grabbed his second after seizing on a mistake from Oldham stand-off Lewis Palfrey.

Collecting possession on Oldham's ten-metre line, Chisholm burst clear down the left flank and was not to be stopped as he claimed an exhilarating long-range effort.

But it was soon Welham's turn to reclaim centre stage, scoring twice more in quick succession to take his haul to four.

First he took a pass from Olbison to cross inside the left channel and then he touched down a clever kick from Chisholm which Welham kicked on himself.

In the 59th minute, Keyes picked up a loose ball and scarpered clear from 20 metres out to cap a dream debut in front of his watching family members.

Keyes celebrated before he had even crossed the line, which confirmed the confidence coursing through his veins – but the Bulls did not stop there.

Delightful passing from Alex Mellor and Pitts sent Williams over in the right corner, before Welham outmuscled the Oldham defence for his fifth try with 11 minutes remaining.

After Oldham had been put on a team warning, Gareth Owen and Middlehurst were sent to the sin-bin and Pitts completed his treble when he supported Adam Sidlow to break clear from ten metres out.

Crossley, on almost certainly his final appearance for the Bulls, added the conversion from under the posts to rapturous applause.

There was still time for Ethan Ryan to ground a clever kick from O'Brien in the left corner, with Keyes missing the conversion but still going home with an impressive 24-point haul.

Crossley, meanwhile, was afforded a guard of honour at the end as he prepares to undergo surgery on long-standing injuries, ending his campaign and second spell at Bradford ahead of an anticipated end-of-season move to the Toronto Wolfpack.

Attendance: 3,022