Bradford Bulls 44 London Broncos 12: Bradford gather momentum but biggest challenge still remains

For as Mick Potter, the Bradford Bulls coach working unpaid after being made redundant due to cost-cutting by the club’s adminstator, led his team on an emotional lap of honour it was hard not to get carried away with the moment.

Over 10,000 had packed into Odsal and they were treated to this romp over sorry London, full-back Brett Kearney showing the quality with a four-try display which makes a mockery of their off-field financial troubles.

The reality though is this could be the club’s final Super League game if a buyer is not found by tomorrow’s deadline, with liquidation a stark possibility.

Before kick-off there was a subdued atmosphere on the streets surrounding Odsal, this famous old stadium which has been the scene for so much of Super League’s historic moments.

At least the sun was peeking through a blustery afternoon on the hills above Bradford. But not for long, as rain started falling to welcome the Bulls players onto the pitch for the pre-match warm-up.

In all the financial doom and gloom, the professionalism and dignity of the players has been overlooked, with the Bulls coming into yesterday’s game on the back of an amazing away win at Wigan.

Since then, the club’s administrator made 15 of Bradford’s back room staff redundant.

Inside Odsal though yesterday there was a defiant vibe with the fusing together of some up-tempo music over the PA system and an enthusiastic home support.

Bradford started the game well, Michael Platt and Elliott Whitehead both testing the visitors’ defence with some buccaneering runs before finally opening the scoring with two quickfire tries.

Manase Manuokafoa spotted a gap to crash over on 12 minutes, and three minutes later full-back Kearney stretched out to ground the ball.

Luke Gale kicked both conversions to open up a 12-0 advantage, before the Bulls scrum-half picked up a controversial try.

London’s Kieran Dixon lost the ball in the tackle and while the visitors waited for referee Richard Silverwood to award a foul, Gale picked up the loose ball to scamper over for a cheeky try.

Broncos’ Dixon atoned for his earlier error as he raced in at the corner to ground a hopeful kick to the corner, Michael Witt drifting his conversion attempt just wide.

But the London winger was having an afternoon of severe highs and lows and his next contribution handed the Bulls their fourth try.

Dixon failed to grab a grabber kick, allowing Whitehead to steam through to score.

It was just too easy for Bradford, as Ben Jeffries’s kick to the corner picked out team-mate Shaun Ainscough, who tapped inside for Platt to score.

Gale missed both conversions, but at 26-4, Bradford went into half-time in complete control.

Odsal fans cheered at news of Andy Murray’s first-set victory at Wimbledon – relayed over the tannoy at half-time – and while the drama of SW19 could not be replicated here, it was game, set and match to the hosts when an expansive passing move two minutes after the interval was capped off by a superb try from Kearney. Gale converted.

Dixon – at fault for two of Bradford’s tries – squeezed over for his second try of the afternoon but it did little to deter the Bulls as Kearney skipped over for his hat-trick, after good work from teenager John Bateman.

It sparked emotional chants of ‘We love you Bradford’ from the home supporters, Gale keeping up the scoring run with a conversion to make it 38-8 with a quarter of the game remaining.

When the tannoy announcer revealed Federer had levelled at Wimbledon, a Bulls fan turned to the press box and said: “I have been coming here for 35 years and that’s the first time they have mentioned the tennis.”

Odsal is hardly strawberries and cream territory, more ale and pie, and you are more likely to see Chumbawamba than Cliff Richard singing in the rain on the terraces here.

Whether it was gallows humour, or just defiance in the face of all the uncertainty surrounding their club, Bulls supporters in the 10,132 crowd were in fine voice as Australian full-back Kearney took centre stage at the opposite end of the field as he supported a superb Jamie Langley breakaway, to take the ball and dive over for his fourth try, Gale adding the conversion.

Lovell scored at the finish for London, but it was little consolation as the Bulls ran out 44-12 winners. A much more important battle awaits them this week.

Bradford Bulls: Kearney, Ainscough, Platt, Lulia, Pryce, Jeffries, Gale, Manuokafoa, L’Estrange, Hargreaves, Bateman, Whitehead, Langley. Substitutes: T Burgess, O’Brien, Walker, Olbison.

London Broncos: Sarginson, Robertson, Lovell, O’Callaghan, Dixon, Witt, Dorn, Bryant, Rinaldi, Wheeldon, Bailey, Howell, Clubb. Substitutes: Randall, Melling, Krasniqi, Bolger.

Referee: R Silverwood (Mirfield).