Workington Town 30, Bradford Bulls 26

HAD things worked out a little differently, Jarrod Sammut might still be a Bulls player now.

The maverick playmaker was a popular figure during his two years at Bradford after being signed by Mick Potter ahead of the 2012 campaign.

He quit in February 2014 after the club had entered administration for the second time in 18 months and made the move to Wakefield.

Sammut eventually fell out of favour at Belle Vue and joined Workington – but while his career may not have exactly followed the trajectory he might have hoped for, his undoubted class remains.

At a sun-drenched Zebra Claims Stadium yesterday, the Aussie playmaker gave his erstwhile employers a reminder of his rare talent.

He scored a hat-trick, created another try for Marc Shackley and booted five goals in a brilliant individual display to cap a famous victory for already-relegated Workington.

Sammut spoke earlier this year about how a return to Bradford at some point in his career has probably passed him by.

Nevertheless, here he proved the difference against an understrength Bulls team containing two teenage debutants and a third rookie in Ross Oakes.

Yet surely Rohan Smith's men still had enough to see off their lowly hosts?

They did not.

Workington deservedly claimed their first win in 21 years against their illustrious visitors and this defeat did not go down well with the travelling supporters.

Winger Josh Rickett and prop Liam Kirk made their first senior starts, while Oakes made only his third senior appearance in the centres.

It was a chance to blood the kids with Workington already down and the Bulls secure in top spot in the Championship Shield.

There had been talk beforehand that Workington boss Phil Veivers would struggle to field 17 players in his injury-crippled squad.

They managed to do so and ultimately they ran out worthy victors for a win that was built on spirit and desire as much as anything.

The Bulls led early on when Danny Addy's teasing short grubber was pounced on and grounded by Mitch Clark.

The kicking of Addy, back in the halves with Dane Chisholm rested, continued to cause Workington problems in the swirling wind and another high bomb forced Town full back Jack Murphy to knock on.

That gave the Bulls a scrum which led to Joe Keyes forcing another drop-out with a testing short kick.

Yet Sammut helped to haul Workington back on level terms with a piece of skill that so typified the Malta international.

Collecting possession inside the Bulls' 20-metre line, Sammut stabbed a short grubber kick behind the visitors' defence.

Shackley pounced on the ball to score ahead of any Bradford defender and Sammut converted the second-rower's try to level things up at 6-6.

Smith replaced Clark and Tom Olbison with Adam Sidlow and Dale Ferguson and the Bulls had their second try in the 27th minute.

Kurt Haggerty's exquisite long pass from inside the hosts' ten-metre line flew out to Oakes inside the left channel and he helped the ball on to Ethan Ryan, who took possession and raced over before grounding in a central position.

Keyes added the extras before a brilliant run from Ferguson saw him drive at the heart of the Town defence inside the right channel before a neat offload almost sent Jay Pitts over.

Workington continued to enjoy purple patches of their own and a delightful handling sequence cut the Bulls apart, with the ball going through at least five players before former Bradford junior Liam McAvoy lost the ball ten metres from the visitors' line.

The Cumbrians did force a goal-line drop-out and from that they earned a penalty after the visitors were caught offside.

From there, the impish Sammut was too quick and strong for the Bulls' defence as he collected possession and powered over from ten metres out for a try he converted himself.

Stuart Howarth and Ben Kavanagh were then replaced by Adam O'Brien and debutant Kirk – but Workington continued to build up a head of steam.

They scored again in the 37th minute when Sammut supported an outstanding break from replacement Ryan Verlinden at pace and plunged over the line. He duly booted his third goal from as many attempts to make it 18-12 at the break.

The introduction off the bench of Verlinden and Tom Walker, a former Warrington prop who enjoyed a brief stint at Bradford in the pre-season of 2014, gave Workington a huge boost up front but it was Bradford who came closest to scoring early in the second half.

Ferguson brilliantly broke the Cumbrians' line and found Kieren Moss to his left but the full back could only knock on just ten metres out with the line at his mercy.

Moments later, the ubiquitous Sammut sent speedy winger Theerapol Ritson over in the left corner.

Referee Scott Mikalauskas consulted with his touch judge and ruled out the score for an apparent offside.

Bradford immediately advanced upfield and Haggerty's kick was touched down in the left corner by Oakes for a try which Keyes could not convert.

Then in the 57th minute, and with the pendulum having swung back in Workington's favour, Sammut took possession and darted over from dummy half.

He added the extras again to make it 24-16 and give Workington breathing space.

With 15 minutes remaining, Haggerty sent a teasing kick down the left channel where Moss was on hand to catch the bouncing ball and scamper clear from 30 metres out.

Keyes converted to cut Workington's lead to two points before Declan Hulme bombed a great chance for the home side and Alex Mellor touched down a kick from Addy before it was ruled out.

Chances continued to proliferate before Ferguson powered over the line inside the right channel with six minutes remaining – yet the Cumbrians were far from finished.

They struck in the last two minutes from a penalty when they moved the ball from right to left and Ritson went over in the corner in clinical fashion.

Sammut missed the conversion but then kicked a last-minute penalty from halfway to cap a famous win for the hosts.

Attendance: 596