Bradford Bulls resurrected their promotion hopes, eight days after a 48-18 thumping by Wakefield Wildcats, and injected life into the Super 8 Qualifiers as they became the first Kingstone Press Championship side to overturn a top-flight club in the new middle tier.
After seven successive victories by First Utility Super League clubs, Bradford ran rings around woefully complacent Salford Red Devils, whose defeat could end up costing them automatic promotion. After yesterday’s debacle, there would not be much appetite to face Bradford again in the so-called “million pound” fourth v fifth play-off.
Despair at Odsal and regime planning for another season in the Championship gave way to euphoria and a glimpse of Super League’s promised land, 11 months after the three-times Grand Final winners were relegated. There are four games of the “middle eights” left. Of the four Championship teams, Bradford are in the box seat after a seven-try demolition of a hapless, now vulnerable Salford.
“I have some wild dreams and even in my wildest dreams, I believe in this bunch of players,” James Lowes, the Bradford head coach, said. “It was a great performance, but I didn’t relax until the last ten minutes.”
The former Salford trio of Jake Mullaney, Adam Sidlow and Danny Williams were their chief tormentors as Bradford built a 17-4 lead by half-time. Sidlow’s offloading, Mullaney’s opportunism, plus Williams’s pace for the length-of-the-field second try left the Red Devils floundering early on.
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Dale Ferguson exploited some flimsy defence for the opening score and the Salford rearguard should have prevented Mullaney riding tackles for a try, which he supplemented with a dropped goal. Rangi Chase was a bit part player for Salford, apart from forcing a goalline drop-out that brought him a try with a dummying run on the right.
Mullaney found acres of space near the posts for his second touchdown, before Adam O’Brien and Tom Olbison created the pick of the tries by Danny Addy, who converted six. James Clare and Adrian Purtell added the sixth and seventh tries as Salford dissolved. Iain Thornley grabbed a late consolation.
“It was embarrassing,” Ian Watson, the acting head coach, said.
Hull Kingston Rovers beat Widnes Vikings 12-8 in their last game before Saturday’s Ladbrokes Challenge Cup final against Leeds Rhinos.
Scorers: Bradford Bulls: Tries: Ferguson, Williams, Mullaney 2, Addy, Clare, Purtell. Goals: Addy 6. Dropped goal: Mullaney. Salford Red Devils: Tries: Chase, Thornley. Goal: Dobson.
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Bradford Bulls: J Clare; O Caro, D Nielsen, A Purtell, D Williams; D Addy, J Mullaney; P Clough, A O’Brien, A Sidlow, D Ferguson, T Olbison, J Pitts. Interchange: M Blythe, A Mellor, E Lauaki, S Crossley.
Salford Red Devils: N Evalds; B Jones-Bishop, J Sa’u, I Thornley, G Johnson; R Chase, M Dobson; S Taylor, L Tomkins, L Tasi, G Griffin, W Hauraki, A Morley. Interchange: T Lee, C Forster, C Paterson, O Krasniqi.
Referee: R Hicks