Nail-biting stuff as Bradford Bulls beat Wakefield to keep season alive

It will take a few more gallons of sweat and drops of blood, but a top-eight finish is coming increasingly back into focus for the Bulls.

This morning they lie just two points behind eighth-placed Hull FC with four rounds of the regular season remaining.

A first play-off place since 2008 will still take some doing, especially as the Bulls’ fate is not in their own hands.

Hull, however, have the small matter of a Challenge Cup final to distract them later this month and a run-in which includes games against Hull KR, Wigan and St Helens.

That could yet open the door for Francis Cummins’ men, who arguably have the best run-in of those sides in and around them.

Catalan Dragons, wobbling alarmingly and far from assured of a play-off spot themselves, are next up for the Bulls at the Provident Stadium on Sunday.

Bradford should feel confident about taking the spoils after yesterday’s success, although they do nothing the easy way.

Cummins and around 1,000 visiting supporters were forced to endure a nervous finale as Wakefield scored through Lee Smith to give the hosts late hope, only for Bradford to hold on for their second successive win.

There were defensive lapses which saw Wakefield lead 12-0 and score twice more after the break but you could not fault the spirit of Cummins’ players.

They ran out worthy victors and all but eliminated Wakefield from the play-off race in the process.

Keith Lulia produced two deadly finishes and a fine assist for Jamie Foster, who could also take a bow after a brilliant break sent Brett Kearney scampering over the line.

Heath L’Estrange provided skill and direction when he entered the fray and Danny Addy enjoyed a fine match off the bench too.

The Bulls’ pack ultimately won the physical battle, with Nick Scruton, Ben Evans, Jamie Langley and Manase Manuokafoa enjoying big games.

Cummins was missing John Bateman after the young forward ruptured ankle ligaments during the recent win over Hull FC.

He underwent an operation on Friday and will miss the rest of the season but his absence opened the door for James Donaldson to return to the side.

Tom Olbison was passed fit to start after sustaining a knee injury against the Black and Whites a fortnight ago.

Jarrod Sammut, who came off the bench to score a crucial try in that match, was named in the starting line-up alongside Luke Gale.

Gale was making his 150th career appearance against a Wakefield side who had ran Leeds close in their past two outings before losing them both.

The Wildcats were subjected to a thumping 40-6 defeat at the Provident Stadium on the opening round of the season.

The opening quarter of yesterday’s match felt like a game of cat and mouse as both sides felt each other out without creating any meaningful opportunities.

Given what was at stake, that was understandable.

The Bulls showed admirable doggedness to defend their line furiously for much of the opening 20 minutes.

Wildcats hooker Paul Aiton took the game by the scruff of the neck and gave the hosts a platform on which to build.

Tim Smith’s kicking game was also a dangerous weapon and in the eighth minute his high bomb was fumbled by Kearney at the expense of a goal-line drop-out.

Two minutes later, Lee Smith found Frankie Mariano with an inviting pass but Matt Diskin made a crucial tackle to avert the danger.

Moments later the Bulls conceded another goal-line drop-out but they could take heart from the fact they had repelled three successive sets from Wakefield.

The Wildcats’ pressure ended with a clumsy handling error from prop Kyle Amor and, soon after, the Bulls came close to opening the scoring.

Sammut collected possession inside the left channel and got midway into Wakefield’s half before a wayward pass failed to find a team-mate.

Two minutes later, Diskin and Gale combined to find Kearney inside the right channel.

Kearney fed Elliot Kear to his right but the Wales winger attempted to chip the ball over a Wakefield defender and beat him in a footrace.

It did not work as the ball ran dead but, at the other end of the field, the Bulls continued to defend stoutly as genuine chances remained few.

That changed in the 23rd minute when Mariano’s deft pass found Reece Lyne 20 metres out and he marched past Olbison and then Kearney to cross the line all too easily.

On the half-hour mark, Wakefield opened up Bradford’s defence again when rookie Danny Cowling broke inside the right channel and showed intelligence to send the supporting Peter Fox over in the right corner.

It was a fine finish and, with Lee Smith again adding the extras, the Bulls found themselves 12-0 down before Richard Mathers almost added a third.

The visitors survived and fashioned a superb response in the closing stages before half-time.

Lulia’s first came when L’Estrange collected possession from a penalty, drove at the heart of the Wakefield defence and ushered the Cook Islands international over the line in the left corner.

On the stroke of half-time Cockayne was penalised for incorrectly playing the ball.

From that penalty, some neat handling from Gale, Sammut and Addy led to Lulia touching down again in the left corner for a try which Foster could not improve from a difficult angle.

The Bulls began the second half how they ended the first but Wakefield hit them with a vicious sucker-punch in the 46th minute when Mariano scored.

Collecting a pass from Tim Smith, the Castleford-bound second-rower burst clear from 20 metres out and had too much pace for Kearney as he crossed the line for a try which Lee Smith converted.

The Bulls responded in kind again, claiming their third try of the match when Gale’s grubber kick rebounded fortuitously off Ali Lauitiiti and into the path of Olbison, who touched down from close range.

Foster’s conversion again cut Wakefield’s lead to just two points but the hosts continued to look dangerous.

Yet again the Bulls held firm to deny another spell of home pressure from that set and they scored two more tries of their own to lead for the first time and settle the match.

Their first score came when Foster took a pass from Lulia inside the Bradford half before embarking on a lung-bursting run down the left channel and sending Kearney over the line from 20 metres out.

It got better for the Bulls two minutes later when Lulia’s short pass found Foster in the left corner and he showed outstanding dexterity to dive over and ground the ball.

Lee Smith went over from a scrum late on and then converted but Bradford deservedly held on.