Bradford Bulls boss Kurt Haggerty insists injuries no excuse for Wakefield Trinity drubbing

The Bulls were already low on numbers for the Belle Vue clash and saw key duo Joe Mellor and Esan Marsters join the lengthy casualty list in a 10-try drubbing.

"It's very difficult when you lose so many bodies but ultimately we struggled before we got to the point of losing bodies," admitted Haggerty.

"It's a tough day. We were always going to have these moments in the season and it's how we react and respond as a group.

"I certainly won't be going in there and stripping the paint off the walls. This group has been fantastic since the first day I came in. It will hurt, it will sting but ultimately we'll move on from it."

Bradford won their first three home games on their return to Super League but continue to struggle on their travels.

A fifth straight away defeat was compounded by fresh injury concerns.

"Esan has potentially popped his calf, we lost Joe Mellor to a knee and Jack Ormondroyd is a potential back," added Haggerty.

"I think we had eight lads who played in the Championship last year so we're going through a little bit in regards to injuries.

"We certainly won't be using it as an excuse. It's giving lads an opportunity to play Super League and we'll keep working on that narrative."

For Daryl Powell's Wakefield, it was the perfect response after exiting the Challenge Cup at the quarter-final stage.

Tom Johnstone led the way with four tries, while fellow winger Oli Pratt scored a second-half hat-trick.

"I thought we bounced back well with a really good performance," said Powell.

"Some of the stuff we did with the ball was class. We scored some awesome tries and were pretty strong defensively."