Betfred Super League
Bradford (6) 12
Tries: Ryan, Atkin Goals: Hooley 2
Wakefield (10) 26
Tries: Johnstone, Tate, Pitts, Rourke, Smith Goals: Rourke 3
Wakefield Trinity moved into second place in the Super League table but not before surviving a scare against tenacious Bradford Bulls.
Daryl Powell’s title-chasing outfit eventually edged a tight encounter, pulling 26-12 clear in the final stages to post an eighth win in their last nine and move to within two points of Leeds Rhinos on pole.
Tries from Tom Johnstone, Will Tate, Jay Pitts, Josh Rourke and Harvey Smith plus three goals from Rourke’s boot proved enough for Trinity to keep their noses in front throughout the contest.
Yet it was a win that was only safely in the kitbag in the final 10 minutes when Smith went over to put clear daylight between the sides.
This was an important win for Powell’s outfit even if they had to battle hard for it against a side now with just one win in six and sitting 10 points off the play-off spots.
Trinity will face stiff competition for the home advantage offered in the play-offs for a top-two finish and with five of the top seven teams to play in their last nine regular season games, every battle won is a step closer.
If it was not a vintage performance – and one where they spent long periods scrapping for their lives near their own goalline – their class ultimately prevailed.
Johnstone’s early try, capitalising on a chaotic start from their hosts, suggested this might be a long night for the Bulls.
But it was to Bradford’s credit that they refused to let Trinity gallop clear, particularly as they had had to rearrange the side after losing the influential Loghan Lewis to a pre-match injury and lost second row Dan Russell to an eye socket injury midway through the contest.
Ethan Ryan outjumped Lachlan Walmsley to get them level on 23 minutes only for the same player to rather blot his copybook when getting sin-binned for upending Rourke in the air under a high kick.
With Bulls a man down Tate went over for a sixth try of his season and Rourke added the extras to extend the lead to 10-4 a margin which Bulls reduced by two points with a Luke Hooley penalty to make it 10-6 at the break.
Bulls needed a bright start to the second period but instead a temporary loss of bearings saw them leave the back door wide open with Wakefield pressing and Pitts romped through to re-establish a 10-point lead.
Again Bulls fought back with a Chris Atkin try converted by Hooley which brought them within one score of the lead.
Bradford may rue three no-try decisions on field – for all that they were correct – and it was after the final one of those, when Jaydon Nikorima was adjudged to have failed to get it down cleanly, that Trinity finally were able to pull clear.
A high kick to Caleb Aekins was fumbled over the line and Rourke charged over to touch a hand on the spillage at full pelt.
With the game won and Bradford’s effort taking its toll Smith added another just before the hooter.
Wakefield Trinity head coach Daryl Powell said:
“I just thought Bradford were great, they really came after us, but it is about winning at times when you are not quite at your best and we did that tonight.
“We dug our way out of it and at the end there it ended up probably being a little bit more uncomfortable than the game was.”
Bradford Bulls head coach Kurt Haggerty said:
“We had a big focus in the week of winning back-to-back (games) and trying to beat a team in the top six, so we went close.
“It is a step in the right direction but again, we will never be valiant losers and I’m pretty devastated.”
Bradford: Aekins, Wynne, Armitage, Blake, Ryan, Nikorima, Atkin; Mellor, Ackers, Ormondroyd, Russell, Fulton, Sutton.
Interchanges: Dean, Gardiner, Scurr, Hooley.
Wakefield: Rourke, Walmsley, Scott, Tate, Johnstone, Lawford, Trueman; Tevaga, Vagana, Storton, Lolesio, Smoothy, McKeeken.
Interchanges: Pitts, Hamlin-Uele, Faatili, Smith.
Referee: Marcus Griffiths