Bradford Bulls battle hard in narrow friendly defeat to Leeds Rhinos

Joe Arundel scored an early try for Bradford, which was sandwiched by Leeds scores from Leon Ruan and Morgan Gannon.

The likes of Jack Walker and AJ Wallace showed promise against a Leeds line-up containing big names like Rhyse Martin and Richie Myler, and Bulls were in the game until just before the break, when the latter got Leeds’ third try.

Joe Gibbons grabbed a fourth for Rhinos, with George Flanagan Sr’s late try giving Bulls a deserved second score, and plenty of hope going into next weekend, and their Championship opener against Whitehaven at Odsal.

Leeds opened the scoring at the concert-induced sandy end of the ground after a thumping tackle from Bulls’ Huddersfield loanee Fenton Rogers only slowed down the hosts momentarily.

Not sure if Costa Del Sol or Headingley... (Image: Tom Pearson.)

They worked the ball nicely to the right, and Ruan broke through a gap in the Bulls line and slid over to score.

Martin converted, his kick only just making it over the posts after getting caught in the wind.

But Martin soon received a yellow card, after taking Kieran Gill out off the ball as the Bulls centre tried to race on to Tom Holmes’ dab through.

Rogers almost scored immediately against Leeds’ 12 men, but he dropped the ball as he tried to dive over the line.

Bulls made up for that near miss soon after, with a great run and offload from Walker followed by David Foggin-Johnston being taken down on the left, before Wallace made good territory.

Bulls recycled the ball well and, after Jordan Lilley, Dec Patton and Holmes, the former playing at hooker, got their hands on the ball, Walker flicked a pass to Arundel, who went over in the corner.

Joe Arundel goes over for Bulls' opening try at Headingley. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

Patton’s kick was not his best, and was always going wide to the right.

Leeds hit back through young Gannon. Sam Walters was tackled, but pirouetted nicely with the ball, laying it off to the stand-off, who dived over for a try.

Cameron Smith knocked over the kick with Martin still off the field to make the score 12-4 to Leeds.

Wallace was then unlucky as he broke through and offloaded to Gill 10 metres out. The centre scored but the pass was adjudged to have gone forward.

And instead of potentially closing to within two points of Leeds, Bulls ended the half 14 points behind.

A break down the inside right from Gibbons caught Bulls out, he flicked the ball to Ash Handley, who quickly laid it off for Myler to stroll in under the posts.

Martin, back on the field at this point, knocked over the simple conversion to make it 18-4 at the break.

Bulls were pretty solid defensively all afternoon, with this three-man tackle from Bodene Thompson, Josh Johnson and Brad Foster summing up their sterling efforts. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

The fourth Leeds try soon after half-time was sloppy, as they were caught out by a simple reverse pass to Gibbons, who slalomed through to score.

Young Jack Sinfield, Kevin’s son, belted the conversion through the posts to make it 24-4 in the home side’s favour.

Leeds should have scored a fifth, as Luis Roberts slipped by Gill to get over the line, but he seemed to throw the ball to the ground instead of touching it down, and Bulls somehow escaped.

Instead, the visitors produced the second and final score of the half.

Great work from Lilley saw him wriggle through towards the line. He offloaded and the ball popped up off Rogers, landing in Flanagan Sr's hands for him to crash over and score.

George Flanagan Sr goes aerial to get Bulls’ second try, with his son, George Flanagan Jr, landing the subsequent conversion. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

Fittingly, his son landed the conversion to get Bulls into double figures.

Bulls almost got in to make the last few minutes very interesting, but Flanagan Jr’s try following a cross field kick from Lilley that wasn’t dealt with was ruled out for what looked to be a forward pass.

A defeat for Bulls, but a narrow one, and they will surely start their Championship opener as favourites, especially given Whitehaven’s much-publicised financial struggles of late.

LEEDS: Handley, Tindall, Edwards, Martin, Roberts, Myler, Gannon, Smith, McDonnell, Ruan, Lisone, O’Connor, Walters. Interchanges: Holroyd, Donaldson, Field, Sinfield, Gibbons, Edgell, Nicholson-Watton.

BULLS: Walker, Blackmore, Arundel, Gill, Foggin-Johnston, Holmes, Patton, Foster, Lilley, Rogers, Wallace, Thompson, Butler. Interchanges: Flanagan Jr, Myers, Green, Lawford, Flanagan Sr, Clarke, Roby, Johnson, Barraclough.