Bradford Bulls keep up 100 per cent home record with Sheffield win

HOME continues to be where the points are for the Bulls as they moved into the top four in the Championship.

Mark Dunning’s men claimed their fifth successive Odsal victory for the year - and another impressive scalp against third-placed Sheffield. The pair are now locked on eight points after six games.

The 3,000 crowd certainly had plenty to cheer again with a spirited effort from the Bulls, who got off to a flying start and then dug in to resist a second-half fightback before taking the well-earned win.

Leeds dual-reg trio Liam Tindall, Leon Ruan and Corey Johnson boosted a side missing the beef of Michael Lawrence and Bodene Thompson down the middle. Jordan Lilley and Tom Holmes were also back after their Challenge Cup breather.

There were plenty of familiar faces in the visiting line-up with seven former Bulls among Sheffield’s 17.

Odsal’s pitch dimensions would have changed since some of them last donned the red, amber and black. The recent wintry blast also made for a surface that still looked a bit heavy in places.

The Bulls, though, made light work of it with a terrific start that saw them cross twice in the opening six minutes.

Tom Holmes races through to score his first try (Image: Tom Pearson.)

They gained the upper hand straight away as Holmes’ kick-off spun through the in-goal to force a drop-out - taking full advantage as the full back then fed Joe Arundel on the blind side to power over.

Lilley knocked on from the ensuing kick-off but the Sheffield attack ended with Kieran Gill launching a superb surge from behind the line to halfway.

The Bulls maintained that momentum to carry the ball deep into Eagles territory where George Flanagan did what he does best and burrowed in from dummy half.

Patton confidently converted both before tacking on a penalty after a high shot from Joel Farrell to put the hosts firmly in the box seat.

Sheffield’s problems increased when Farrell went off with concussion and they were left well and truly dazed as Patton slipped Holmes through a gap to race in for the third Bulls try.

They reached the mid-point of the half scoring at a point a minute before the away side got on the board as Jesse Sene-Lefao, who had come on for the injured Farrell, dived over from short range.

Sheffield then further reduced the arrears catching out the Bulls with an overload on the left edge for Matty Dawson-Jones to run in unopposed.

The lead had been trimmed to eight points as Sheffield demonstrated the dogged tenacity that had lifted them to third spot in the early table - but the Bulls roared back up the other end to restore their authority.

Joe Arundel gave Bulls the perfect start after two minutes (Image: Tom Pearson.)

Holmes was the provider this time, dinking a grubber kick towards the corner where Tindall gathered and stretched to cross the line.

Sheffield thought they had pinned Keven Appo behind his own posts as half-time approached.

But elusive work between the Papua New Guinea star and Tindall avoided the drop-out and instead earned a penalty in the Bulls’ favour.

The hooter then sounded on a very entertaining half - and a really encouraging one for the Bulls.

They came out positively again but Patton took a big hit to spill the ball as they threatened in Eagles territory.

David Foggin-Johnston tackled Jason Bass in the air to give Sheffield a penalty five metres from the Bulls line. But Vila Halafihi embarrassingly fumbled from the tap.

Tindall was denied his second try by a superb points-saving tackling from Aaron Murphy and AJ Wallace was stopped metres away. But Sene-Lefao was pulled up for an attempted ball steal and Patton kicked the penalty to make it a three-score game again.

The Eagles, though, were refusing to go away and Sene-Lefao made amends for his error as he barged beneath three defenders to claim his second score of the afternoon.

The balance of the contest appeared to be shifting and the Bulls survived a heavy bout of pressure as Brandon Douglas knocked on in front the line.

The Bulls seemed to be defending wave after wave of Sheffield attacks, David Foggin-Johnston doing well to avoid Kris Welham’s attempt to halt him in-goal as he hauled in a bomb.

Holmes provided a much-needed spark with an electric 40-metre burst after taking another high ball.

Top scorer Gill, who had generally been kept quiet, was then agonisingly close to getting a score as Lilley’s grubber bounced over his grasp as he raced through.

But the Bulls put the game to bed with a slick move for their fifth try, saving the best until last as Patton sent in Holmes on the inside. He celebrated wildly after crossing, knowing full well the win was secured.

Holmes was still in the mood for more and kicked on to send Gill and Foggin-Johnston racing into the Sheffield half.

Cory Aston just won the sprint to beat them to it and prevent further damage but the Eagles’ wings had already been clipped.

BULLS: Holmes; Tindall, Arundel, Gill, Foggin-Johnston; Lilley, Patton: Baldwinson, Flanagan, Rogers, Wallace, Ruan, Butler. Interchange: Foster, Johnson, Appo, Scurr.

SHEFFIELD: Jones-Bishop; Bass, Welham, Oakes, Dawson-Jones; Aston, Thackeray; Douglas, Halafihi, Dickinson, Murphy, Farrell, Gwaze. Interchange: Hodgson, Broadbent, Roberts, Sene-Lefao.

BULLS MAN OF MATCH: Tom Holmes