Bradford Bulls 36, Leigh Centurions 36

IF the Bulls can perform like this with three key playmakers missing, then what might they be capable of when they return?

These sides will do it all again for a third time this season in the coming weeks in the promotion-deciding Middle Eights and it should be some contest.

Leigh, sitting proudly at the Championship summit and with an impressive Challenge Cup run behind them, might have been expected to win comfortably yesterday.

Bradford were severely understrength as they were missing Lee Gaskell, Jake Mullaney and Harry Siejka, leaving Adrian Purtell and Danny Addy to be paired in the halves.

Purtell departed after about 27 minutes after aggravating an injury but the Bulls ran Leigh close and could have easily emerged victorious.

When you consider that Gaskell, Mullaney and Siejka will return to contention in the coming weeks, then the Bulls’ attacking threats will improve dramatically.

Even so, they showed enough quality at Odsal to breach Leigh’s line six times and underline their promotion pedigree, with home debutant Omari Caro scoring a hat-trick.

Leigh boss Paul Rowley was honest enough to admit that his side were perhaps fortunate to emerge with a point.

That said much for how below-par Leigh were at times and how vibrant Bradford were.

Make no mistake, Leigh are better than this and they will no doubt show that in the forthcoming rematch at Leigh Sports Village.

If this was the kind of fare we can expect in the forthcoming Middle Eights, then bring it on.

After several weeks of scratchy performances often branded “rubbish” by their head coach, the Bulls rediscovered their attacking sparkle.

Even though the match was effectively a dead rubber in terms of league positions, both teams knew the importance of the occasion.

The size of the crowd illustrated as such, with 9,181 turning up to register the biggest Championship crowd of the season.

There were a couple of thousand Leigh supporters on the Rooley Avenue Terrace but they were soon left stunned as Bradford led after just 56 seconds.

It stemmed from Fuifui Moimoi’s opening carry of the game, with Chev Walker forcing the former NRL star to spill the ball.

Some quick handling saw the ball worked out to Matty Blythe and he intelligently found Jay Pitts, who burst over the line from ten metres out.

Odsal erupted, save for the huge contingent of Leigh supporters behind the posts, and Ryan Shaw converted.

After making such a vibrant start, the Bulls overflowed with self-belief as they went in search of a second try.

Purtell sent a last-tackle grubber kick behind the Leigh defence but it was slightly overcooked and the opportunity was lost.

Leigh showed little in terms of attacking threat until Gareth Hock took a pass from Bob Beswick at acting half and showed brute strength to burrow his way over from ten metres out in the 11th minute.

Martyn Ridyard converted to level things up at 6-6 and, after the Bulls had forced Leigh to drop out, the visitors struck again in the 19th minute.

This time some lovely rugby cut the Bulls defence apart and culminated in full back Gregg McNally sending Jonny Pownall over the line inside the left channel.

It was the first of Pownall’s three tries and Ridyard again applied the extras but the response from the Bulls was to be applauded.

They replied in the 21st minute when, after working the ball across the face of the Leigh defence, it fell kindly for Caro to gratefully collect possession in the right corner and touch down.

Purtell was soon replaced but the Bulls had their third try in the 27th minute and Caro struck again in exhilarating fashion.

Adam Henry found Caro in space inside the right channel and the former Hull KR winger showed the kind of speed which saw him crowned Super League’s Fastest Man in 2012.

He raced 70 metres, dummying his way past McNally and leaving the full back for dead as he scampered clear to score a try which Shaw converted.

Tensions mounted as the half progressed, with Sam Barlow catching Adam O’Brien with a late shot for which referee James Child chose not to produce a card.

Sam Hopkins almost touched down and then caught Epalahame Lauaki with a high shot but a penalty from Shaw gave the Bulls a healthy 20-12 interval lead.

It was no more than they deserved for their vibrant approach but the introduction of former Warrington hooker Mickey Higham at the start of the second half helped turn the game in the visitors’ favour.

Four minutes after the restart, centre Greg Worthington finished off some neat handling from the Centurions before Brierley provided the coup de grâce following a Sam Barlow break under the posts.

But the Bulls came charging back and retook the lead when Addy finished off a slick passing move by rounding McNally to score.

It was a brilliant individual effort and underlined the Scotland international’s class.

The lead was short-lived as Higham’s break and pass set up Pownall to race clear for his second try of the afternoon five minutes later.

Within four minutes, the Bulls were back in the lead.

Danny Williams rose highest to tip Addy’s cross-kick back to Blythe, who acrobatically touched down in the corner.

The Bulls charged forward, looking to extend their 32-30 lead, but instead gifted the visitors a try of their own.

Pownall intercepted Addy’s pass to race the length of the pitch to complete his hat-trick down the left flank.

Trailing by four points with five minutes left on the clock, the Bulls hammered away at the Leigh try-line and eventually forced their way through when Caro dived over in the corner to complete his hat-trick.

Shaw was unable to add the difficult extras, the first missed goal kick of the afternoon, and the scores were locked at 36-36.

Both teams threw everything they had at each other in a frantic closing period, including a Lucas Walshaw charge-down from a Ridyard attempted field goal, but the game finished all-square.