Bradford Outmuscle Huddersfield In Epic At Odsal

ByJay Freeman
BBC Sport England


71 Comments


Bradford (4) 26


Tries: Ruan, Nikorima 2, Hooley Goals: Hooley 3, Atkin 2


Huddersfield (2) 14


Tries: Powell, Gagai Goals: Russell 3


Bradford Bulls earned a third succeeding home Super League win, emerging triumphant from an epic encounter against winless Huddersfield Giants.


In a cagey first half, Olly Russell and Luke Hooley exchanged kicks, with the latter effective to offer Bradford a narrow half-time lead.


Tristan Powell struck for Huddersfield after the break however Leon Ruan and Jayden Nikorima countered for the Bulls.


Jacob Gagai dragged Huddersfield back into the video game but Bradford managed the win courtesy of Hooley's late shot and Nikorima's second.


It was a chastening night for Huddersfield, who plunged to a fifth succeeding league defeat, yet the injury-hit Giants mounted an admirable resurgence in a thrilling second half at Odsal.


Russell's early goal had nudged them ahead and, in an attritional very first half, his kick was matched by Hooley in the future.


The game sprung into life as half-time approached, with Zac Woolford punished for a high arm on Hooley, who properly sent out over another 2 points right in front of the posts.


Bradford sent out Connor Wynne through for what they thought was the video game's opening try but, after a prolonged review by video referee James Vella, his rating was chalked off when it was judged Ed Chamberlain was passively offside at the point the kick was made before he ended up being active when in ownership.


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Wynne was later on at fault when he spilled Russell's high ball, resulting in Powell thinking quickly to occupy and then go over for the very first try of the night.


Yet it was some fast thinking from Bradford that helped them respond, as they worked the ball from their own goalline into Ruan's shot within 60 seconds and after that Nikorima powered over under the sticks on his launching to extend the hosts' lead.


Huddersfield then scored one of the more audacious tries of the evening, as Gagai snuck up on Bradford's Esan Marsters - who had actually been expecting it to bounce dead - and dotted down with inches to spare to put the visitors within 2.


Bradford polished off the win in fine fettle with Nikorima first offloading to Hooley, who wonderfully sold a dummy before entering at the corner, before the previous Salford man damaged his way over for a second.


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'Jayden was the video game's best player' - reaction


Bradford head coach Kurt Haggerty told BBC Radio Leeds:


"Huddersfield were really great, they revealed a desire and we didn't deal with their huge bodies (well) at times in the very first half, they got a roll on and we struggled with it.


"Ultimately, when we entered into the game we began playing our design - it took us too long to do that once we became the video game and started enhancing our line speed, I believed that begun to turn the game.


"I thought Jayden was comfortably the very best player on the field. I didn't anticipate much magic from him, I just wanted him to protect well and take the line on, but he's a first-rate player, he's been chewing at the bit to play.


"He was the distinction, wasn't he? He simply needs to keep enhancing, keep concentrating on his defence first and after that the rest of his video game will come."


Huddersfield boss Luke Robinson told BBC Radio Leeds:


"First half we were dominant, we had the majority of the ball. But it makes it very to attack on this field, it's tiny.


"Very seldom will you go round people but I felt we should have made a little bit more of the field positions, in attack we were a bit blunt and didn't offer enough with the ball.


"Second half we offered a seven-tackle set away, they scored, we returned into it, we gave a seven-tackle set away again, they scored, we kicked one out on the full and it simply loads so much pressure on us.


"If you do put a seven-tackle set in, we need to still have the resilience to defend that set. Work for your mate, for the club, for the badge, for the t-shirt. At the minute, things are just a little off."


Bradford: Aekins; Wynne, Marsters, Armitage, Ryan; Nikorima, Hooley; Sutton, Ackers, Ormondroyd, Chamberlain, Ruan, Mellor.


Interchanges: Atkin, Lolesio, Hallas, Souter.


Huddersfield: King; Woolford, Burgess, O'Donnell, Patolo; Powell, Russell; Lolohea, Gagai, Milne, McCormack, Lumb, Zenon.


Interchanges: Rogers, Rush, Cozza, Cassell.


Referee: Aaron Moore.


Huddersfield Giants