MAYBE the solution all along was to have no available senior half-backs?

In a hugely disappointing season for Bulls, which will see them miss out on the Championship play-offs, they produced arguably their best performance of the year on Monday night, edging out high-flying rivals York 20-16.

No-one gave Bradford much of a chance, especially given they were without Dec Patton (suspended), Jordan Lilley (ankle) and Billy Jowitt (shoulder) in the halves.

But teenage scrum-half Myles Lawford was magnificent at the LNER Community Stadium in both defence and attack, while loose forward Sam Hallas put in a sterling shift in the unfamiliar position of stand-off.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Myles Lawford is congratulated after the win at York on Monday night.Myles Lawford is congratulated after the win at York on Monday night.

And there were no real concerns from the kicking tee either, as other than one shanked penalty attempt, full-back Elliot Kear proved flawless with the boot.

Head coach Mark Dunning was particularly proud of Lawford after the game, saying: “The only word I can use for Myles is mature. He’s not fazed before the game, he doesn’t get nervous, and he’s as tough as teak.

“You look at him and you think, ‘Jesus, should he be on this field with these big people?’

“But he puts his body in the way and he doesn’t whinge about it at all, so he’s somebody we’re very proud of.”

But for all it seems a little unfair to knock Bulls after the high of Monday night, the half-back situation at the club needs to be addressed.

For all that Lawford and Hallas can be rightly proud of their efforts at York, that partnership is not a long-term solution, and it will be interesting to see how they cope in the final four games, given that is likely to be the half-back duo until the end of the season now.

And, without wanting to sound harsh, regular half-backs Patton and Lilley have not been good enough this term.

Patton has been a real disappointment. Arguably Bulls' marquee signing last winter, this was a player who was considered unlucky not to get more opportunities in Super League with Warrington and Salford, though he still managed over 100 games for the former.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Dec Patton (centre) looked to be an excellent signing for Bulls, but he has flattered to deceive.Dec Patton (centre) looked to be an excellent signing for Bulls, but he has flattered to deceive.

He scored the Wire's only try in their 12-6 Grand Final defeat to Wigan in 2016, and was someone who featured in their Challenge Cup final victory over St Helens three years later.

But while his kicking from the tee has been largely superb for Bulls this season, he has not shown much else.

He has struggled to direct games from stand-off, his kicking from the hand has not been overly impressive, and he does not look in fantastic shape either.

His brain-dead eye-gouge offence against Halifax in the Summer Bash has ruled him out for the rest of the season, a suspension made even more stupid given he knew Lilley and Jowitt were going to be absent until the end of term due to their respective injuries.

Lilley has been one of Bulls' most popular players since he arrived, initially on loan, from Leeds in 2017.

But this has been arguably his poorest season in a Bradford shirt.

He has not been as dynamic as we have seen in the past, reflected in a poor try return of just two in 17 competitive games this season.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Jordan Lilley has not been at his best for Bulls this term.Jordan Lilley has not been at his best for Bulls this term.

Lilley and Patton have both struggled on the tight Odsal pitch in particular.

After a home defeat to Fax on Good Friday, the former moaned: “I don’t like to blame the pitch too much but it’s only 55 metres wide.

“It’s never going to be an expansive, really good game on here, it’s one for the middles.

“If anything, we look forward to playing away on the 68-metre wide fields, where we can throw the ball around.

“Between me and Dec (Patton), we want to play expansive rugby.

“I see fans saying we play boring rugby, and that we need to throw it, but it’s hard on there.”

It is true that Odsal is not a pitch conducive to expansive rugby, but other half-backs have found ways to control games on there, and just four home wins all season is a shocking return for Bulls.

As for poor Jowitt, he is still relatively raw himself, but he is not getting much of a chance to show what he is capable of, given his rotten luck with injuries.

A broken arm against Widnes last June cost him a chance of a run in the team at stand-off in the absence of Danny Brough, while after starting the first three games of this season, he picked up a nasty calf injury at Leigh.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Billy Jowitt made a bright enough start to the season, before suffering two major injuries.Billy Jowitt made a bright enough start to the season, before suffering two major injuries. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

On his return, for the reserves against Huddersfield, poor Jowitt dislocated his shoulder, and has not been seen in the first-team since.

On paper, the 21-year-old is a good back-up for Patton and Lilley but, through no fault of his own, he has become impossible to rely on due to his injury record.

Last year, Bulls had the exact same problem, with the likes of Brandon Pickersgill and Joe Brown having to endure awkward games in the halves.

Joe Keyes also returned on an emergency loan, and looked excellent in the handful of games he played, making the decision to not pursue his signing for the 2022 season look all the more regrettable, especially given his form for Fax this year.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Joe Keyes looked good for Bulls when he played for them last season, but he signed with Halifax for 2022 instead.Joe Keyes looked good for Bulls when he played for them last season, but he signed with Halifax for 2022 instead.

You could argue that Bulls were confident in Patton and Lilley being their regular half-back partnership for 2022, but there are always injury and suspension risks, and it is a lot to ask of young Jowitt and the club's talented teenagers to replace them.

In the 2019 season for example, Bulls had Lilley, Keyes, Dane Chisholm and Rowan Milnes in the squad, four quality half-backs, all of whom had or went on to have experience in Super League.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Rowan Milnes (right) was one of several quality half-backs in the Bulls squad during the 2019 season.Rowan Milnes (right) was one of several quality half-backs in the Bulls squad during the 2019 season.

That lack of depth in the halves caught Bulls out in 2021, but that was a mistake they have repeated in 2022.

Patience is wearing fairly thin among large sections of the Bulls fanbase, and if there are more half-back fiascos in 2023, you can expect a furious reaction.