Upbeat Paul Medley hailed the Bulls' youngsters after they opened the Gillette Champions Academy campaign with a devastating 48-16 destruction of Leeds Rhinos.

The under-18s side were irresistible as they destroyed their fierce rivals to set the benchmark for the season ahead and hint at an early sign that the junior system is back on track.

Full back Kieran Hyde bagged a hat-trick, Jason Crookes crossed twice, while the impressive prop Steve Crossley and second-rower Elliott Whitehead also touched down.

But the success also came with the aid of three of Bradford's recent under-16s recruits - Liam Kay, Adrian Raw and Josef Wardle.

The schoolboys were thrust in due to injuries and flourished despite the age difference.

Medley admitted: "They all stood up really well.

"Liam Kay deservedly won man of the match and played great at scrum half but not only that, as a 16-year-old stepping up, he just did not look out of place at all.

"Josef Wardle and Adrian Raw also played and did great jobs. They all delivered and had good players around them.

"Hopefully it's a sign of things to come in this age group and we can start producing kids for the first team sooner rather than later."

It was a special personal triumph for Kay and winger Raw, the Hunslet Warriors duo having turned down offers from the Rhinos - where they had been on scholarship - to sign for Bradford in January.

Meanwhile, Wardle, who came from Illingworth ARLFC through the Bulls' own scholarship, stepped off the bench to play loose forward and scored twice on his debut.

The under-18s have struggled in recent years with many players having had to double up in the under-21s.

But there is a concerted effort this time around to keep the side together.

Medley admitted: "We've had some disappointing seasons with the academy but this was an excellent start.

"It was a good victory for us considering it was our first game up and we played with three under-16s but we performed well.

"We had a strong team out and the hard work done in the off-season paid off.

"The pack dominated and it helped having Keale Carlile and Steve Crossley performing well.

"We've always had a young pack at this age group and that has seen us struggle to dominate and go forward.

"But we've made a conscious decision to try and get more quality in there this time.

"They're a special bunch of kids we've now got to bring through and their development along with everyone else is paramount.

"We've had to re-align our whole junior structure and it may take three years for them to reach Super League but the signs are there."

Bradford completed the capture of ten highly-rated schoolboys in the new year who will form the backbone of their under-16s foundation team, although James Donaldson and Andrew Tate are likely to start full-time training with the Super League squad later this summer.

Next up the Bulls Academy tackle Wakefield Trinity Wildcats at Crofton ARLFC on Saturday, kick-off 12noon with Kay and Wardle both set to feature again.

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