VIDEO - Bradford 36 Leigh 36: Walshaw ensures Bulls get due reward from enthralling clash

Fierce Championship rivals Bradford Bulls and Leigh Centurions had been waiting for it ever since their infamously spiteful first clash of the season back in February.

Thankfully, there was less of the niggle and nastiness of that encounter at a resplendent Odsal yesterday, and instead the rugby did all the talking as the league’s biggest crowd of the season – a massive 9,181 – watched a classic unfold.

Resilient second-placed Bradford, despite missing three half-backs and seeing their makeshift stand-off Adrian Purtell limp off in the first half, went close to inflicting only a second Championship defeat of the season for leaders Leigh.

In the end, though, it was such a see-sawing game that the Bulls were thankful to the rangy Lucas Walshaw for actually saving them.

Crucially, he used all of his 6ft 5ins frame to charge down Martin Ridyard’s last-minute drop goal attempt and leave the absorbing contest all level.

It was a fair result. Both sides saw players score hat-tricks, although Leigh’s Jonathan Pownall will have believed the 90m intercept of Danny Addy’s pass to complete his treble had done enough to secure two points in the 70th minute.

Instead, he could only watch on helplessly as Omari Caro, the former Hull KR winger making only his second appearance for Bradford, finished off his own trio five minutes later to level again.

Unfortunately, Ryan Shaw – who had been Leigh’s scourge with his constant raiding from full-back – missed his first kick from seven attempts, falling just wide from the touchline.

Leigh, of course, will still take the League Leaders’ Shield with just a point in their rearranged game against Dewsbury on Wednesday, but the real business of note is The Qualifiers to come.

On this form, you would fancy both sides to beat at least one of Super League’s bottom four, if not more, especially with Jimmy Lowes’s Bradford due to get their first-choice No 6 Lee Gaskell and full-back Jake Mullaney fit again for that competition.

The West Yorkshire club will face Wakefield Trinity and Salford Red Devils away plus Widnes Vikings and, probably, Hull KR at home in the seven-game series after the split, Halifax and Sheffield Eagles the other Championship teams now confirmed.

Full of drive and purpose, they were good value for their 20-12 interval lead yesterday with Leigh clearly not at their fluent best unnerved by the hosts’ solid defence.

Leigh, also, were fortunate to have 13 men still on the field when they departed for the break given three wild high tackles were, each time, only dealt with by a penalty and talking to by James Child, the Super League referee brought in to ensure this contest did not descend into outright mayhem like the game Centurions won five months ago.

Sam Barlow was particularly lucky having badly flattened Adam O’Brien before Sam Hopkins raced from an offside position to lunge at Epalahame Lauaki, the robust Tongan prop who had rampaged clear following a quick 20m tap when Hopkins had spilled diving for the Bradford line.

Lowes’s side had taken a lead after just 33 seconds when their captain Chev Walker, legitimately, forced an error from Fuifui Moimoi as the former Kiwi juggernaut ran back the kick-off.

Good handling saw Jay Pitts cross, Shaw added the first of his six kicks, and Bradford were on their way with a bouncing Odsal – this crowd was bigger than 12 of their 13 Super League games last year – making the sort of noise associated with the old ground’s heyday.

After initially struggling for rhythm, Leigh kept it simple to earn their response, Gareth Hock too strong as he powered over from 10m between the posts with Shaw having been bundled into touch when collecting a kick.

Ridyard slotted the first of his six conversions, the second coming on 21 minutes after his lovely pass had unleashed full-back Gregg McNally for winger Pownall to finish.

However, Leigh failed to deal with the restart and, so, after Purtell had probed close, Caro benefited from a long pass to score his first try in Bradford colours on 21 minutes.

He was in again just six minutes later – Hull KR fans will still wonder why he was released last season – when Addy’s long pass was perfectly moved on by Adam Henry for Caro to score from 60m, embarrassing McNally in the process.

Henry, this time, spilled the restart but Leigh’s Tom Armstrong was denied a try having been offside when chasing down Ryan Brierley’s grubber.

Barlow escaped a card for that rash challenge on O’Brien but, when his side infringed again, Shaw accepted the gift of two points for an eight-point lead.

Two tries in quick succession from Greg Worthington and Brierley at the start of the second period put Leigh back in control.

But Bradford, who had lost two of their previous three games to miss out on top spot, took charge again with the try of the match as Walker brilliantly linked with his fellow forwards in midfield and Addy, superb at scrum-half, produced a classy finish.

Pownall scored again, though, after Hock’s offload sent Mickey Higham, the livewire £50,000 hooker from Warrington, away.

Yet Adam Higson dropped O’Brien’s kick to gift Matty Blythe a try and Shaw’s superb touchline conversion made it 32-30 - but there was more drama still to come.

Bradford Bulls: Shaw; Caro, Henry, Blythe, Williams; Purtell, Addy; Clough, O’Brien, Sidlow, Olbison, Pitts, Walker. Substitutes: Walshaw, Lauaki, Crossley, Mendeika.

Leigh Centurions: McNally; Pownall, Worthington, Armstrong, Higson; Ridyard, Brierley; Moimoi, Beswick, Hock, Dixon, Goulden, Emmitt. Substitutes: Barlow, Spencer, Hopkins, Higham.

Referee: James Child (Dewsbury).