HE may only have spent a season at Bulls, but the Bradford faithful knew just how lucky they were to have Danny Brough in the ranks.

The veteran half still oozed class, even at 38, and was instrumental in John Kear’s side winning seven of their opening eight Championship games.

But a torn bicep in the last of those victories, at home to Newcastle, was the beginning of the end for Brough.

He didn’t play again for nearly three months, in a fine win at York, but he was not at his best at the business end of the season, like the majority of his team-mates, as Bulls eventually crashed out in the play-off quarter-finals to Batley.

But Brough’s last three games in a Bulls jersey (he missed the heavy defeat to Toulouse with a knock) should not define a storied senior career, which lasted nearly 20 years.

So in homage to rugby league’s joint-fifth highest points scorer of all time, here are five of Brough’s greatest games...

5) BULLS 35 DEWSBURY 14 (April 2021)

We had to include a Bulls game in here, this is a Bradford newspaper after all, and the veteran marked his 500th career appearance in style with a sensational performance against Dewsbury.

His kicks out wide led to a try for Ross Oakes in the first half and one for Joe Brown in the second, he produced a stunning feint to go over for a score of his own, and he made seven out of seven kicks from the tee, as well as slotting over a cheeky drop goal to boot.

Dewsbury had no answer to Brough’s genius in that Sunday night fixture, just like so many clubs and countries down the years.

4) WAKEFIELD 26 BULLS 24 (February 2008)

As debuts go, this wasn’t a bad one from Brough.

Bradford went in to this opening day Super League clash at Belle Vue as clear favourites, but John Kear’s Wakefield side dominated the first half, leading 10-6 at the break.

Brough was instrumental in one of those scores, wriggling past Paul Sykes to set up Ryan Atkins for an easy try.

He then set up Luke George for a score, before converting it, and he added the extras when the winger went over for his second try in quick succession.

Brough also slotted over a penalty from a Paul Deacon kicking error, and though a late Bulls onslaught led to a converted try for them, the hosts held on for a superb victory.

Brough’s performances for Wakefield that season earned him the Albert Goldthorpe Medal.

3) ST HELENS 4 HUDDERSFIELD 40 (February 2013)

The Giants were brilliant in 2013, storming to the League Leaders’ Shield at the expense of their more fancied rivals.

And they served notice of what was to come with a mind-blowing display at Langtree Park on the opening day.

Brough converted five of his six attempts at goal, putting the Giants 22-0 up at half-time, before setting up his former Wakefield team-mate George for another score just after the break.

Injury forced Brough from the field soon after, but even in a half and a bit of rugby league, he had shown he was a force to be reckoned with.

At the end of that season, Brough became the first man ever to win a second Albert Goldthorpe Medal.

2) SCOTLAND 18 NEW ZEALAND 18 (November 2016)

Brough was instrumental in Scotland winning the 2014 European Cup, which ensured they qualified for the 2016 Four Nations, but against rugby league heavyweights Australia, England and New Zealand, no-one gave them a prayer.

Yet Brough, who needed a painkilling injection in his knee before kick-off, produced a brilliant second half performance to secure a famous draw against New Zealand.

Scotland trailed 6-4 at the break, but Brough sparkled in the second 40 with the wind and rain at his back.

He produced a 40-20 straightaway, and though he was then guilty of gifting the Kiwis a try with a loose kick, he soon converted Ben Hellewell’s try, before landing a 35-metre penalty to give his side a shock lead.

New Zealand hit back to open up a six-point advantage, but one last push from the Scots saw Euan Aitken cross the whitewash with two minutes to go.

Brough held his nerve to add the extras, and secured his country a sensational share of the spoils.

1) HULL 25 LEEDS 24 (August 2005)

The one game that will always be associated with the career of Danny Brough came way back in August 2005 at the Millennium Stadium.

Leeds reached every major final possible that year, and won the World Club Challenge for the first time, and they raced into an early 6-0 lead here in the Challenge Cup final.

But Brough converted two tries either side of the break, the second a brilliant effort from the touchline, to put Hull 12-6 in front.

Another converted try and a Brough drop goal saw the East Yorkshire outfit go 19-12 up just short of the hour mark.

Leeds roared back, and scored two converted tries to lead 24-19 going into the final 10 minutes.

But at the last, Paul Cooke broke through to score, and Brough held his nerve to land the subsequent conversion and a famous victory.

Brough’s head coach that day was John Kear. Sixteen years later, it was the veteran Bradford boss who led the tributes to the retiring stand-off.

Funny how stories just write themselves sometimes, isn’t it?