Bradford Bulls 12 Wakefield Trinity 26: Title hopefuls pass another test with gritty victory
Title challenges are built as much on taking care of business as they are statement wins.
Wakefield Trinity are proving increasingly adept at doing both.
Five days on from becoming the first team to topple Hull KR at Craven Park in over a year, Daryl Powell's side backed it up with another hard-earned victory.
Trinity were not at their fluent best against Bradford Bulls but they continue to demonstrate the gritty qualities that will be required at the business end of the campaign.
An eighth win in nine games lifts Wakefield to second in Super League with fixtures against fellow title hopefuls Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors on the horizon.
These are heady days for a club in the Championship only two years ago.
The result at Odsal underlined how dramatically the landscape has changed. Bradford were once the standard-bearers of Super League but they are now trying to bridge the gap to one of the competition's fastest-rising clubs.
The depleted Bulls, however, continue to earn respect for the character they have shown despite the challenges of their first season back at the top level.
This was another night when they had to dig deep into their physical reserves to make a game of it.
Bradford's troubles started in the warm-up when Loghan Lewis was forced to pull out – and they continued once the action began.
Jayden Nikorima fumbled the kick-off into touch and paid a heavy price, quick hands from Will Tate giving Tom Johnstone the chance to cut back inside and score with barely a minute on the clock.
The writing appeared to be on the wall for the ill-disciplined Bulls but they limited the damage during a one-sided opening and eventually settled into the game, helped by Chris Atkin's timely interception close to his own line.
Wakefield back-rower Isaiah Vagana and Bradford full-back Caleb Aekins were both denied by the video referee before the Bulls were rewarded for their early resolve.
Atkin stood a kick up to the left corner and Ethan Ryan beat Lachlan Walmsley in the air to open Bradford's account.
However, elation quickly turned to despair when the winger got his next aerial challenge wrong and saw yellow for taking out Josh Rourke.
Wakefield had to settle for a solitary try in Ryan's absence as the Bulls showed more resilience with 12 men.
It took a mistake from Guy Armitage for Trinity to retake the lead, Tate in the right place to finish after the Bradford centre failed to deal with Myles Lawford's grubber kick.
The home side suffered another setback when Dan Russell left the field with an eye injury but steadied themselves to reduce the deficit to four points before the interval thanks to Luke Hooley's penalty.
Wakefield looked set to pull away after Jay Pitts coasted over next to the posts, only for the Bulls to reel them back in.
Backed by an increasingly vocal home crowd, Nikorima wriggled out of a tackle by Tate and sent Atkin in with a smart flat pass.
Bradford had their tails up and Trinity suddenly looked ragged, not helped by their own indiscipline.
But Wakefield showed the grit that earned them a statement win at Craven Park to see off set after set as the Bulls laid siege to their tryline, surviving a scare when Nikorima had a try ruled out for a knock-on.
Caius Faatili – the match-winner against Hull KR – went close to scoring the decisive try before Rourke landed the killer blow.
The full-back refused to give up on a hopeful kick from former Bradford half-back Lawford and pounced on an error to touch down.
Harvey Smith darted over to add gloss to the scoreline but Wakefield were pushed all the way by their resolute hosts.
Bradford Bulls: Aekins, Wynne, Armitage, Blake, Ryan, Nikorima, Atkin, Sutton, Ackers, Ormondroyd, Russell, Fulton, Mellor. Substitutes: Dean, Gardiner, Scurr, Hooley.
Tries: Ryan (21), Atkin (51).
Goals: Atkin 0/1, Hooley 2/2.
Sin bin: Ryan (23).
Wakefield Trinity: Rourke, Walmsley, Scott, Tate, Johnstone, Trueman, Lawford, McMeeken, Smoothy, Lolesio, Storton, Vagana, Tevaga. Substitutes: Pitts, Hamlin-Uele, Faatili, Smith.
Tries: Johnstone (2), Tate (30), Pitts (44), Rourke (69), Smith (77).
Goals: Rourke 3/5.
Referee: Marcus Griffiths.