Bradford Bulls sink to new low after humiliating defeat to Sheffield Eagles

IT is just over two years since Marc Green took formal ownership of Bradford Bulls.

Not much has gone right since.

The club he put into administration before buying it back from that same administrator hit rock-bottom yesterday.

This was another sad view of a club who are in danger of falling into terminal decline and had supporters streaming for the exits long before the final hooter.

It said everything.

The Bulls now find themselves in their worst on-field position for many years and the prognosis is not good.

Not for Jimmy Lowes and not for this group of players.

Significantly, however, Green remains an ardent supporter of his head coach and seems certain to stick with him despite a run of one win in six games.

But the manner in which the Bulls fell apart after going 12-0 up inside the opening quarter will certainly give the Odsal hierarchy much to think about.

Self-belief gradually drained from Lowes’ players and the second-half capitulation was, quite frankly, shocking.

This wasn’t a performance – it was a suicide note and the latest humiliation of a once proud club.

There was no fluke about this result.

Sheffield were the better side and it was a sweet moment for a handful of their players with Bradford links.

Lowes swung the axe following the Easter Monday loss at Halifax, dropping Richie Mathers and Jean-Philippe Baile and sending Etu Uaisele on loan to Dewsbury.

Yet the Bulls were boosted by the return of captain Adrian Purtell and Kris Welham while Oscar Thomas also came in to replace Mathers at full back.

Welham went to left centre and Purtell partnered Lee Gaskell in the halves.

The game went to script for the Bulls for much of the opening quarter after tries from Addy and Gaskell put them 12-0 up after 18 minutes.

Yet Lowes’ men have an unwanted habit of shooting themselves in the foot.

If there is a red, amber and black coloured sock, the Bulls will invariably find a gun.

They did so again here, conceding three tries to trail 18-12 at the break and leave the boos of the home supporters ringing in their ears as they ventured down the tunnel at half-time.

It was a curious turnaround and largely self-inflicted, with an error from Purtell handing Sheffield their first try with a careless offload that allowed Cory Aston to scamper clear.

Boyhood Bulls fan and Bradford lad Elliot Minchella, who played his amateur rugby at West Bowling, then touched down for an equalising score before a third try from winger Ryan Millar put the Eagles in front.

Sheffield were sluggish during the opening quarter as Bradford seized early control.

Thomas supported the attack well from full back and Paul Clough led by example with some formidable early carries.

Purtell sent a probing kick behind the Sheffield defence which bounced off a post before Gaskell almost burst through a gap in the Eagles’ rearguard.

The Bulls playmaker showed signs of his best form during Bradford’s early dominance and it was his 40-20 which led to his team opening the scoring in the eighth minute.

The tactical manoeuvre which so often leads to a try being scored did so again here as the Bulls put serious pressure on Sheffield’s line.

After Thomas went close in the left corner and Clough was denied from a more central position, a quick pass from Adam O’Brien sent Addy diving under the sticks for a try he converted to make it 6-0.

It was the perfect early fillip for Lowes’ troops and the Bulls were generally dominant at this point.

Indeed, it came as no surprise when Gaskell grabbed a second home try in the 18th minute.

It was all of his own making as he showed daring and ambition to back himself with a cheeky little grubber kick behind the Sheffield defence which fell kindly to him as he collected to touch down.

Omari Caro then touched down a kick in the left corner but no try was awarded after a knock-on in the build-up.

From there, Sheffield finally woke up and began to enjoy some decent field position and ask questions of their own, with young Aston dovetailing to increasing effect with Rhys Jacks.

In the 22nd minute, the Eagles were off the mark as Purtell’s offload flew straight into the arms of Aston, who scampered clear to score from 20 metres out.

Moments later, Sheffield came within inches of scoring again when Aston narrowly failed to ground Jacks’ clever kick under pressure from Campbell.

Canada international Jacks, who played in both of Bulls’ pre-season friendlies before Lowes decided against offering him a permanent deal, then almost weaved his way over from close range.

Yet the Eagles struck again in the 29th minute when replacement prop Mark Mexico, a player the Bulls tried to sign during Francis Cummins’ time in charge, made a formidable break through the heart of the hosts’ defence.

He then showed impressive skill to find Minchella in support and the Bradford-born back-rower powered over the line from close range.

It was a sweet moment for Minchella, whose father Chris is a fanatical Bulls follower and was stood on the terraces as usual at Odsal yesterday.

Aston’s second conversion tied the scores at 12-12 and Lowes then made a double substitution, replacing Clough and Kurt Haggerty with Dan Fleming and Jay Pitts.

But the pendulum of momentum remained largely in Sheffield’s favour as winger Garry Lo almost powered over before Mexico made another fine run to keep his side on the front foot.

Addy then produced a deft offload to Gaskell on halfway and the former St Helens man appeared a decent bet to scamper clear, only for Quentin Laula-Togagae to make a fine saving tackle.

O’Brien was then forced off on the stroke of half-time after taking a knock as he attempted to ground the ball but was able to return in the second half.

Then, as the interval approached, Purtell knocked on just 10 metres from his own line, with Sheffield working the ball from the scrum out to winger Ryan Millar, who touched down in the right corner.

Aston added the extras to make it 18-12 at the break and complete the turnaround.

Things got even better for the Eagles after the break when Gaskell’s lofted kick to the right corner was plucked out of the air by Lo, who embarked on a stunning length-of-the-field try to race clear.

He outpaced Thomas and two other Bradford defenders before going over in the left corner.

Gaskell then knocked on less than 10 metres from the Eagles’ line and the visitors added a penalty before Caro touched down after catching a kick from Gaskell.

But Papua New Guinea international Mexico then added another Sheffield score before former Bradford academy player Duane Straugheir went over in the right corner following an exquisite pass from Jacks.

The procession continued as Millar scarpered clear for his second and George Tyson simply outmuscled the Bradford defence to add an eighth Sheffield try, either side of efforts from James Clare and Kris Welham in right and left corners respectively.

But the Bulls had long since surrendered the points and have a fight on their hands to stay in the top four.

Attendance: 4,234