BULLS coach John Kear was happy to admit he got it wrong regarding whether their Ladbrokes Challenge Cup tie at Hunslet yesterday should have gone ahead.

There was standing water on a very heavy South Leeds Stadium pitch as Bulls won 34-10 to clinch a fifth-round tie at Warrington Wolves.

Kear said: "I didn't think it should have gone ahead. But I am going to doff my hat to the officials, who said that it was firm underneath that surface water, and it stood up very, very well indeed.

"In hindsight, they were right and I was wrong, especially when we have won by that scoreline."

Kear was expecting a difficult match against a very committed fellow Betfred League One team in what he called "very difficult conditions".

He said: "I know that Gary Thornton (Hunslet's coach) was not happy with what they had served up against Keighley and I didn't think that we would score 34 points.

"It just shows the quality of the players that we have got and their skill level because there were some exceptional tries."

Kear was delighted with his side's display early doors, adding: "We wanted a big start because we felt that the pitch would deteriorate and we thought that points would be at a premium, but they weren't as it happens.

"I am really chuffed with the tries that we scored because they weren't scruffy barge-overs – they were well-constructed tries."

The most spectacular was Ethan Ryan's effort in the first half when Dane Chisholm sensed an overlap on the left and threw a long pass that just eluded Ryan's opposite number, giving the winger just enough time and space to make a dramatic horizontal leap to plant the ball against the base of the corner flag.

Kear said: "The pass to Ethan wasn't bad either. Dane knew that we had an overlap but the Bulls fans are getting used to Ryan doing that aren't they?

"He is like Stretch Armstrong in the corner and it was a great finish."

Chisholm was many people's choice as man of the match, and Kear admitted: "Dane played a very controlled game, which I was delighted about, but you have got to applaud Elliot Minchella, who went into the halves when Gregg McNally got injured, and young Brandon Pickersgill started in the halves and went to full back. They were all seamless transitions.

"That is a pat on the back for those fellows who are obviously taking great note of the structures, systems and organisation that we want."

The one negative was an injury to McNally, with Kear saying: "Gregg has a quad injury and we are hoping it is not a tear and only a pull.

"He did it when he was kicking a goal because it was so cold out there."

Bulls' trip to Super League side Warrington is on Saturday, April 21.

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