Bradford Bulls 6 Huddersfield Giants 42

The Bulls arrived at the Etihad Stadium with one Magic win from six attempts and left with another loss against their name as the Giants made up for the 43-18 loss they suffered on their home ground in March.

The victory helps them restore the their three-point buffer over third-placed Warrington and represents another important step in ridding themselves of the chokers tag which is becoming such an irritant to coach Paul Anderson.

For two successive seasons Huddersfield have started well and faded badly and many have tipped them to do so again, leaving Anderson, in his first full season in charge, annoyed.

The comparison was present again today for it was at the Magic Weekend a year ago when their season started to lose some shape, with a disappointing defeat to Salford followed by the news captain Kevin Brown was leaving for Widnes.

Huddersfield looked keen to make good Anderson’s vow they would not falter again, though, and from the moment they took an eighth-minute lead - Dale Ferguson went through a weak Tom Olbison tackle for a first of the year - they did not look back.

A second score followed soon after as Leroy Cudjoe leaped to pat a Luke Robinson kick into the hands of Scott Grix, but the Bulls were not as fortunate when Elliot Kear thought he had caught and grounded a Danny Addy kick, with the video referee ruling an offside.

The ball was certainly not bouncing Bradford’s way and Jarrod Sammut lost a footrace with Jermaine McGillvary after he hacked ahead to the line, and when Larne Patrick crossed under the posts, they were 18-0 down and down on their luck.

That continued as Kear was dumped in touch by Aaron Murphy as he went for the line and they continued to flounder in the second half as Jarrod Sammut was twice pulled back as he made promising runs.

They had at least kept Huddersfield under control for a prolonged period, although all that changed with 25 minutes left as Olbison was punished for a ball steal and Ferguson took in a Danny Brough pass to go 30 metres to the line.

Bradford would get some reward for their industry, though, with Jamie Foster converting how own close-range try on the hour mark, but Huddersfield’s top scorer Shaun Lunt quickly redressed the balance.

Brett Ferres followed that up with a score in the corner against his old side - Lunt laying the try on with a good break, although Jamie Cording’s final pass looked a little forward.

Anthony Mullally’s try - another which met little resistance and his first for the club - the rounded off the four-pointers, with Brough kicking the goal to end with a perfect record of seven from seven.