Near-perfect completion rate leads to welcome victory (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Near-perfect completion rate leads to welcome victory

1:27pm Sunday 26th July 2009

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Celtic Crusaders 12, Bulls 34

Brains is the local brew in South Wales – and how the Bulls tapped into it. Not the beer itself but actually the idea of using their heads.

Saturday’s relieving win over Celtic was as much a victory for common sense as anything else. Bradford sorted out their ball possession issues and the rest all just fell into place.

It was never the most elaborate or eye-catching of triumphs as the Bulls’ power game gradually wore their hosts down but, having lost five on the bounce previously, no one was bothered. Any Brains they did manage to deservedly drink afterwards will have been just as sweet.

The Bulls’ success was built on their ability to control the ball. In the first half their completion rate was up to 90 per cent and they had established an 18-0 lead. It isn’t rocket science!

They only failed to get to the last tackle once in their opening 13 sets, when Glenn Morrison was deemed to have fumbled while playing the ball by an eagle-eyed touch judge.

But showing the intent that would see them cruise into full command, the pumped-up Bulls pack adopted a tactic seen more regular by the Bridgend union side who play at the same Brewery Field venue. They shoved Celtic off the ball at the resulting scrum and regained possession against the head.

The pack had already looked eager to show their true colours, having been bullied into submission with that shock defeat to the Crusaders at Odsal earlier this year. They ripped in from the off with some fearsome tackles and there was no looking back.

The Welsh side’s hopes of a first-ever Super League double were dashed in a ruthless spell midway through the first half, when the Bulls ran in three back-to-back tries with Celtic failing to touch the ball apart from for the obligatory kick-offs.

The message was clear – there would be no more history-making at Bradford’s expense this time around.

The sensational Morrison, back two weeks earlier than scheduled from a rib injury yet as competitive as ever, got the first and then Dave Halley and Andy Lynch quickly added others.

Lynch was relentless up front, setting the lead with prop partner Nick Scruton as the Bulls wrestled control.

But they were ably supported by the back-row of Morrison, Elliott Whitehead and the hard-grafting Jamie Langley, allowing Paul Deacon and Paul Sykes to take command with the boot at half-back.

Morrison’s 20th-minute opener came after the game came to life during a thrilling 60-second period.

Deacon’s grubber was picked up by Anthony Blackwood on the Celtic winger’s own line but he beat Wayne Godwin’s attempted tackle and surged into open field.

He exchanged passes with centre Josh Hannay as the pair looked to get clear with just full back Halley to beat but all it did was give Semi Tadulala time to get back and finally haul Blackwood down.

Referee Thierry Alibert awarded two penalties to heap pressure on the recovering Bulls defence but Celtic sent out a wayward pass that Chris Nero picked up to race 80 metres himself back down the other end.

The Aussie’s momentum was checked by a tap-tackle on halfway, giving Steve Tyrer just enough time to track him down inches short.

It mattered little though as Deacon and Sykes quickly switched the play for Morrison to dummy over in the opposite corner. Deacon improved and did so again when Bradford immediately added another try.

Morrison thought he had got in again when Halley cleverly dummied his way through the Celtic line on halfway and found Lynch inside.

The prop drew full back Damien Quinn to put Morrison on a 40-metre foot race for the line but Tyrer once more came to the rescue, dragging the second-rower down just short.

However, soon after, Whitehead dinked in a kick from dummy half which bounced kindly back to the 19-year-old to score his first-ever Super League try.

From the kick-off again, Sam Burgess – now on to add more misery to the Celtic forwards – showed brilliant footwork to dance through the line before sucking in Quinn and putting Deacon into space down the middle.

The little number seven was never going to beat the cover but he found Halley, supporting well like any good full back, and he angled clear of the rest to finish off from 30 metres out.

Deacon missed the kick but slotted a penalty two minutes from the break after Langley was clobbered by a high tackle.

Celtic had a couple glaring opportunities in between, down the Bulls right where Michael Platt had come in at late notice at centre due to Steve Menzies going down with illness, but both times bombed the chance to let Bradford off the hook.

The visitors showed their defensive strength at the start of the second period when, despite seeing Burgess hobble off moments after the restart, they defended FIVE consecutive sets on their own line and kept it intact.

Halley made a rare mistake in dropping a ball at his feet as he prepared to run back a Celtic kick and that gifted the home side the territory but the Bulls came out of that pressure and scored with their first real attack of the half.

Lynch, who came up just short in the first, stretched over off a Terry Newton pass after solid foundations were laid by Mick Worrincy and Scruton and Deacon’s conversion made it 24-0.

Celtic did get on the scoreboard when hooker Lincoln Withers brushed off Newton to dive over following some offloads in the middle but there would be no collapse.

Lynch grabbed a rather fortuitous second try as his attempted pass ricocheted back into his arms for a stroll to the line, which Deacon converted.

Deacon was aggrieved when prop Ryan O’Hara hit him late after a kick, the half-back bravely getting up to pick a fight with possibly the largest player on the field.

That didn’t really get going in back play but Deacon didn’t forget and dumped the big forward on his backside with a huge tackle moments later which saw the ball squirm free.

Teams have targeted Deacon defensively in the past but he came up with 24 tackles on Saturday and gave as good as he got, while bossing his own side around the pitch in commanding style.

Matt Smith finished off a breakaway for Celtic after Blackwood latched on to Josh Hannay’s hopeful kick down the left but the Bulls had the last word when Tadulala crossed in the corner on the back of a crisp move.

Youngster James Donaldson came into the line to perfection off Morrison’s inside pass and then found Nero, who put the Fijian in for his 11th try of the campaign.

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