forwards were ‘disgraceful’ blasts agar

NOW this is what the start of a new era should really look like.

The last time Omar Khan stepped out on the Odsal pitch it was before Bradford Bulls’ final home game of last season, shortly after completing the crucial takeover which finally rescued the teetering club from the brink of liquidation.

It ended, though, with a humiliating and record-breaking 70-6 defeat at the hands of Hull FC and the Asian restaurant owner wondering just what he had let himself in for.

The huge loss effectively ruined Bradford’s hopes of making the play-offs and their tumultuous campaign petered out the following week with another heavy reverse in Perpignan.

However, five months on, the new regime began in earnest yesterday with a brilliant and hugely encouraging performance from Francis Cummins’s first game in charge.

Khan returned to the field before the opener against Wakefield to urge the club’s fans to “rock the house down” and they had every reason to after witnessing a seven-try destruction of the side who denied them that place in last year’s play-offs.

It was the style of the victory, though, that was most pleasing, Cummins’s confident side impressing as their forwards utterly dominated Trinity’s meek pack and, on the back of that, produced some stunning football.

They continually looked to off-load and their badly under-performing opponents were carved open far too regularly.

Two-try Jarrod Sammut, playing in the absence of injured Luke Gale at scrum-half, was the chief architect with his sheer pace causing Wakefield all manner of problems through the middle.

But there was also tries for all of the club’s three debutants – Matty Blythe, Adam Sidlow and Jamie Foster, the ex-St Helens winger who looked accomplished at full-back and kicked six goals from seven attempts.

“When you look at the possession we had, and to starve Wakefield of so much ball, it was really pleasing,” admitted Cummins, promoted from Mick Potter’s assistant for 2013 to take his first head coach role.

“We’ve done some real good stuff there.

“The main thing – and we have to do it all year – was to hunt as a pack and show the lads are giving 100 per cent.

“We did that and hopefully the fans will come back for more. We need them to.

“The momentum our four props got us, as well as the back-row, allowed us to start off-loading and show some skill.

“I was a little bit worried just before half-time that we were perhaps starting to play a little bit of ‘touch’ but, to be fair, the lads really earned the right to play.

“It (off-loading) is something we’ve worked on in the snow and in the gym so it’s pleasing to get it on in the game.

“We made it really tough for Wakefield but we know the test will come when we don’t get all that ball and we’ll have to work harder for each other.”

Bradford, at the start, looked like being frustrated when they were pressing on the Wakefield line for four sets running yet came away with nothing.

However, their early profligacy did not go punished by their opponents who continued to invite them in with a raft of needless handling errors.

The Bulls eventually opened the scoring on nine minutes with the sort of slickly constructed try which would epitomise their whole performance.

Sammut, typically, was the instigator with one of his accelerating darts through the middle from near halfway before Foster, Tom Olbison and Chev Walker all linked up in support to receive and immediately off-load, Michael Platt the final benefactor.

Nearly a quarter-of-an-hour had passed before thriving Bradford were forced to defend their own line. Even then it only took a rudimentary effort before Trinity stand-off Paul Sykes over-hit a kick dead.

Bradford simply did not care where they produced those off-loads with Blythe the loanee centre from Warrington, proving particularly smart with his use of the tactic.

The rapid Sammut had a field day latching onto such service and was only denied scorching away for a score from inside his own half when he stumbled trying to step past Trinity full-back Richard Mathers. He was probably going too fast for his own good.

However, ill-disciplined Wakefield were penalised soon after, Elliott Whitehead floated out a long pass to fool a shooting defender and Blythe strolled in in the 17th minute.

Their breathless opponents could not cope with the continual freeing up of the ball and it seemed, if Trinity did not fully complete a tackle – which, worryingly, happened a lot – they run the very real risk of being exposed by yet another support runner.

Prop Sidlow then barged over more directly for Bradford’s third try before Sammut skipped clear direct from a scrum and arced in from 40m to leave it 22-0 at half-time.

Shoddy Wakefield – badly missing the injured Tim Smith and Andy Raleigh – showed little sign of improvement after the break but it was alarming how slowly anyone reacted when Brett Kearney dinked a grubber for Foster to dive over.

There was similar signs of inertia when Sammut put on a couple of exaggerated sidesteps to weave his way over for a second try from 10m.

Wakefield saved some face, at least, when Dean Collis picked up a ricocheted Bradford kick to sprint in from 60m but, fittingly, it was Kearney who rounded things off for the hosts. The Australian stand-off had taken on much of the organising duties, steering the Bulls around the park while Sammut did his dazzling routine, and it was rich reward when he accepted Whitehead’s clever inside pass to sprint in from 35m.

Bradford: Foster; Kear, Blythe, Lulia, Platt; Kearney, Sammut; Scruton, Diskin, Manuokafoa, Olbison, Whitehead, Walker. Substitutes: L’Estrange, Addy, Sidlow, Langley.

Wakefield: Mathers; Fox, Collis, Lyne, Cockayne; Sykes, Wildie; Poore, Aiton, Amor, Lauitiiti, Kirmond, Washbrook. Substitutes: Wood, Wilkies, Singleton, Mariano.

Referee: B Thaler (Wakefield).

Forwards were ‘disgraceful’ blasts Agar

Furious Wakefield Trinity Wildcats coach Richard Agar labelled his forwards’ performance as “disgraceful” and blamed them for a dire 40-6 opening loss at Bradford, writes Dave Craven.

It was hard to disagree after seeing the Trinity pack practically lay down in the face of a powerful opening onslaught from their highly-motivated rivals.

Things did not get any better for the sluggish visitors who finished last season so impressively winning seven consecutive matches to take the final play-off spot but were strangely absent yesterday.

“I probably didn’t see it coming but we saw a good example of it last night on telly,” said Agar, referring to Huddersfield Giants’ stunning 40-4 win at much-fancied but over-powered St Helens.

“If you’re not in the psychical contest things can get a bit messy for you.

“Plain and simple today our contact in the middle of the field was nowhere near up to scratch. In fact it was disgraceful.

“I’m talking about our forwards and I’ve told them in there (dressing rooms) that I’m going to lay it firmly and squarely at their door.

“We weren’t tackling with our shoulders, there was too many arms, not getting tight enough, not working hard enough in the ruck area and they (Bradford) just marched us down the field.

“I’m not too sure if they strung too many passes together themselves but they didn’t need to such was their control of the ruck.

“That’s why it was such a one-sided game. Until you get a grip of that area I don’t think you have much chance.”

Wakefield were missing their influential scrum-half Tim Smith who, along with another absentee, prop Andy Raleigh, had been so crucial in their end-of-season flourish.

Both could be back for Saturday’s televised visit of Hull KR but Agar refused to use their absence as mitigation for this disaster.

“I think there was 53 sets to one team, which wouldn’t be far off a record, while we had 20-odd,” he continued.

“I don’t think Tim Smith would have conjured up too much on attack playing behind a pack that threw that up for you.

“I’m not massively worried about our attack though. I know we didn’t create an awful lot but it will be good enough and it will come.

“But you have to earn the right to attack and the way we defended in the middle of the field we didn’t earn that right at all.”