SEASON REVIEW: Relegated Bradford Bulls hit for six by costly losses

Many will say they were effectively doomed at that point.

Lee Smith made the case last week that they have won more games than the three sides above them. No points penalty, therefore, and no relegation.

But was the RFL sanction effectively a “get-out” clause for a year of under-achievement?

Let’s face it, that six-point gap to Swinton in the security of tenth spot could have been swallowed up with three more victories.

Was it the pre-season deduction that really killed off the Bulls’ hopes – or costly losses to those other teams immediately around them?

The Bulls may have restored some goodwill with that 13-try pasting of Rochdale on Sunday.

But what about the two defeats to the Hornets when it really mattered?

There was also a setback against Oldham at a time when the Bulls seemed to be building momentum and that wretched home display on the final day of the regular campaign against Swinton.

Those were the critical moments that will prey in the minds as the club prepare to dip a toe in third-tier rugby for the first time in their history.

At least they did sign off with a bit of swagger, even if it was too late to make any difference.

Five wins from the last six weeks emphasised what could or should have been for Geoff Toovey’s men. That just added to the frustration.

It was always going to be an uphill task given what had gone on over the winter; the loss of so many players followed by the loss of so many points.

But most still felt that the Bulls would find enough to pull off the great escape.

Four wins in five early on raised genuine hopes. The likes of Hull KR and London aside, the Championship appeared to hold no fears for a squad that would chop and change from one week to the next.

But inevitably the heavy reliance on loan players – and that constant uncertainty over whether they would be available – would catch up with them.

After putting 48 points on Sheffield on April 9, the Bulls would have to wait until June 25 for the next win. Nine straight losses in that time delayed the so-called “zero party” and blew a hole in any genuine survival ambitions.

At one point, they leaked 168 points in three weeks as resources were at their thinnest.

Injuries also didn’t help. Having wrangled with the Eagles to finally bring back Dane Chisholm, his comeback would last barely an hour.

What an hour it was as they went toe-to-toe with Hull KR at Blackpool, showing the viewing public that there was plenty of life left in this famous club.

But when Chisholm hobbled out of a tackle with a knee injury that would end his season, it pretty much did the same to his team.

Rising stars such as Ethan Ryan and Ross Oakes would also miss chunks of the campaign. And the experienced Ashley Gibson’s arrival from Wakefield lasted about as long as Chisholm’s before he too was ruled out for the year.

Smith was another long-term casualty while Leon Pryce's much-heralded return to his hometown club ended in retirement.

And veteran Willie Tonga’s knees looked shot by the time he was thrown in with relegation virtually nailed on by that point.

By the end, 42 different players had taken the pitch in Bulls colours – only Dewsbury used more in the Championship. As Toovey pointed out, successful NRL sides restrict their numbers to virtually half that.

It was the most testing environment for the most inexperienced players to be thrown in. But they delivered the biggest positives in a year when good news was often thin on the ground.

Championship young player of the year James Bentley grabbed the headlines by earning a Super League move to St Helens and looks destined to be the latest name in the pantheon of academy graduates who have gone to on big things.

But there were so many others learning their craft so quickly, often in the most brutal of scenarios.

Liam Kirk began the season hoping to play the odd game. He went on to appear in all of them and finished it with the accolade of the coach’s player of the year.

At 20, he is almost viewed as one of the old heads by younger team-mates because of that experience. He will be a huge player going forward.

The same with Sam Hallas, another stuck on the sidelines for too long, who put a marker down by signing a two-year deal. Regular clocking up 50-plus tackles, his energy and determination will be crucial in the bid to bounce straight back from League One – something the Bulls must do.

The likes of Ryan and Joe Keyes came on in leaps and bounds but the club face a real battle to keep them.

Decisions are already being made as the Bulls create the “hybrid” squad for next year with a balance of full and part-time players.

Last week’s rush of contracts showed the planning is well underway. Sunday’s post-match announcement that Chisholm was sticking around for another two years was a timely shot in the arm for everyone.

But there is still much work to be done.

First and foremost, the coach’s position needs to be finalised.

Toovey has not completely ruled out staying but understandably the prospect of coaching at some of the least salubrious outposts in the domestic game does not appeal.

If he does go back to Australia, and that’s where the smart money continues to point, how will his year at Odsal be judged?

“Inconsistent” was the verdict he consistently trotted out throughout the campaign. Inconsistent in team selection through necessity; inconsistent in performance because of it.

There was also the launch of legal proceedings against the club, which also involved 14 current players, coinciding with a shocking slump which saw the Bulls lose all but one in 15 games.

On that evidence, it’s hard to argue with joint-owner Andrew Chalmers about the effect that such a sideshow inevitably had in derailing the team’s focus.

That claim is still to be heard in January, by which time the new-look Bulls will be pretty much in one piece for League One.

They can afford no distractions next year on or off the field. They have one shot at getting out of a league they should win at a canter.

There can be no excuses.