Chisholm shows his class as Bradford Bulls blitz Whitehaven to boost top-four hopes

THERE could be a debate in the years to come at Odsal about how good Dane Chisholm actually was.

Just nine minutes into his Bradford debut, the new recruit displayed the kind of class and ingenuity his side have been crying out for all season.

In fact, make that the past two seasons.

Collecting possession inside Whitehaven's 20-metre line, the impish Australian could easily have offloaded to a team-mate.

Instead, he chose to drive at the heart of the Cumbrians' statuesque defence, dashing one way and then the other before scampering through a gap and over the line.

It was a delightful effort and the perfect demonstration of the 26-year-old's considerable talent.

Certainly the leaden-footed Whitehaven defenders could not get near him.

Four minutes before the break, he was at it again, this time collecting his own kick before stepping through the visiting defence for another fine individual score.

Chisholm's first-half double not only suggested he could finally provide the answer to the Bulls' half-back conundrum, it proved the highlight of an 11-try mauling from Rohan Smith's men.

They led 52-0 at half-time after reducing their part-time visitors to so much rubble it was almost embarrassing to watch, such was the gulf in class between the sides.

Chisholm was at the heart of all Bradford's best attacking moves as they swamped struggling Whitehaven with some exhilarating high-tempo rugby.

Of no less significance, of course, was the fact that Championship rivals Halifax and Batley both lost yesterday, ensuring that Bradford moved to within a point of the top four with just two games remaining.

Could the Bulls now scrape into the middle eights and avoid the 2016 campaign being a complete disaster?

Making the end-of-season lottery will still take some doing, but it is hard not to feel that Smith's men could now be hard to stop with Chisholm steering the ship.

It is worth remembering that Chisholm, wearing the number seven jersey that has been vacant all year, proved himself at a higher level than this in England last season.

In seven appearances during a short stint for Hull KR, he scored three tries and helped the Robins to finish top of the middle eights with a 100 per cent record of seven straight victories.

Pretty much everything that could go right for Bradford yesterday did go right, certainly results-wise.

Chisholm might have been expected to take time to adapt to his new surroundings following his arrival from the Canterbury Bulldogs. Instead, he attacked with sustained cohesion from the off.

He was involved in a move early on which saw Ethan Ryan find Kris Welham with a neat inside pass.

The left centre-wing partnership of Welham-Ryan flourished, aided and abetted as they were by Chisholm.

Ryan almost threatened to upstage Chisholm after scoring an impressive hat-trick of tries and the local lad is expected to shortly sign a new deal to stay at Odsal.

Stuart Howarth, again picked ahead of Adam O'Brien as the Bulls' starting hooker, was held up over the line.

Moments later, the Bulls led when Chisholm orchestrated a fine handling sequence which Ryan finished off in the left corner as he laid a claim to be a first-choice winger for Smith's men.

Danny Addy, picked at loose forward with St Helens loanee Lewis Charnock partnering Chisholm in the halves ahead of Oscar Thomas, added the extras. From there Bradford did not look back.

Their second try arrived in the sixth minute when Matty Blythe embarked on a strong, surging run inside the right channel before showing intelligence to send prop Adam Sidlow bustling over the line from close range.

With nine minutes on the clock, it was time for Chisholm to take centre stage, a role he seems born for.

He waltzed through the Whitehaven rearguard with speed and skill which the visitors simply had no answer to.

The fourth try came when full back Kieren Moss finished off a sweeping move after supporting play from full back and Addy's fourth goal made it 24-0.

Liam Carberry went close from dummy half for Whitehaven but it one-way traffic and the procession soon continued at the other end.

Indeed, the Bulls' fifth try arrived when Moss got his second after more excellent work on the left edge by Ryan and Welham.

With Leigh well in control over Halifax on the other side of the Pennines, it was happy days at Odsal.

The bonhomie continued when Ryan claimed his second in the left corner after good work from O'Brien, Chisholm and Welham.

Chisholm blotted his copybook by missing the conversion with Addy off the field; not that it mattered in the slightest.

The France international illuminated Odsal again soon after when he brilliantly broke clear of the Whitehaven defence and ushered replacement forward Joe Philbin over the line.

It was Chisholm's day and that much was confirmed in the 36th minute when he grabbed his second try, collecting his own kick at pace and touching down in style.

With half-time beckoning, Steve Crossley grabbed his first try of the season when he collected Jay Pitts' short pass and crashed over before celebrating with gusto.

Addy, Chisholm and Charnock all got on the scoresheet with conversions during the first half as Bradford established a 52-0 interval lead.

Okay, so it was only Whitehaven, but it was impressive all the same.

Two minutes after the break, Ryan completed his hat-trick.

Again Chisholm was involved, supplying former Hull KR team-mate Welham inside the left channel before Ryan took Welham's pass and sprinted clear in the left corner for another fine finish.

Charnock added the extras and four minutes later, the shambles that was Whitehaven's defence was exposed once more.

Cutting inside from the right flank, James Clare drove at the visitors from 40 metres out, gliding past Whitehaven defenders all too easily as he sauntered through a gap before galloping all the way to the line.

It was an impressive start to the second half from the Bulls, but they could not maintain that pace all afternoon.

The game became scrappy as Welham was sin-binned for throwing a punch and Whitehaven scored soon after when Jay Chapelhow grounded a kick and John Paul Brocklebank converted.

Four minutes later, the Cumbrians struck again when hooker James Newton went over from acting half and Brocklebank's second goal made it 64-12.

Curiously, the visitors began to dominate field position for a period and the Bulls' rhythm was further disrupted by the 64th-minute withdrawal of Moss after he picked up a knock.

Whitehaven then scored again in the 69th minute when Brocklebank raced onto his own kick, which meant the visitors outscored Bradford in the second half, but the outcome of the game had long since been decided.

If the Bulls do go on to sneak into the top four, and they still have much to do on that front, they will face far greater challenges than this.

Attendance: 4,163