Warrington Wolves 35

Bradford Bulls 32

BRADFORD simply did not know what had hit them.

They trudged off at half time stunned, staggered and bewildered, with Robbie Paul holding his head in his hands in disbelief.

Wolves had bombarded one of Super League's supposed 'Big Four' with a whirlwind of attacking rugby in an opening 40 minutes that suggested, maybe for the first time this season, that there was a top six side in the making at The Halliwell Jones Stadium.

It would be wrong to suggest that there had not been signs of a significant upturn in form in Wolves' previous two matches against Widnes and Leeds, but they found an altogether different gear as they took a 23-4 first-half lead against last season's Grand Finalists.

Nathan Wood was the tormenter-in-chief in the early stages as he took the Bulls by the horns in a sparkling spell.

And he dummied and darted his way over the line to set the tone of the half while most of the crowd were still wondering exactly why both teams had been allowed to take to the field in white shirts.

Wolves, who were able to welcome Toa Kohe-Love and Chris Leikvoll back to the starting line-up, looked a more imaginative and powerful outfit.

And while it had been the forwards grabbing the headlines in recent weeks, it was the backs that were making the running on this occasion.

Lee Briers complemented his exemplary kicking with probing passes, while Brent Grose turned on the jet heels to touch down two tries.

But although Martin Gleeson's try seven minutes into the second half had seemed to finish the match as a contest, there was so nearly a sting in the tail for a Wolves side seeking their third home win on the trot.

They had been here before of course - twice they led Bradford and failed to win last year, and St Helens looked dead and buried five weeks ago before snatching a late, late victory.

And the signs were ominous as the previously quiet Lesley Vainikolo suddenly popped up with two tries - the second cruelly punishing Briers' wayward kick.

Jamie Langley then narrowed the margin further after exposing Wolves' defensive weaknesses on the left-hand side, where Graham Appo and Kohe-Love had been paired together for the first time in the absence of Dean Gaskell, who had been given a run with the Senior Academy team.

But Martin Gleeson showed just why Bradford coach Brian Noble had labelled him 'one of the best three centres in the world' by jinking over.

Briers converted to lift himself to joint fifth in Warrington's all-time scoring charts - level with Derek Whitehead's total of 1,516 points - on his 200th Wolves start.

Bradford then ensured a rip-roaring encounter was kept in the balance by hitting back with two more tries to reduce the lead to three points.

But this time Wolves hung on to beat Bulls for the first time in 10 meetings, as the visitors extended their worst start to a Super League season.

Things finally seem to be looking up at The Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Match facts

Engage Super League X

Round nine, April 10, 2005

Warrington Wolves 35

Bradford Bulls 32

Wolves: Brent Grose; Henry Fa'afili, Martin Gleeson, Toa Kohe-Love, Graham Appo; Lee Briers, Nathan Wood; Chris Leikvoll, Mark Gleeson, Mark Hilton, Ben Westwood, Mike Wainwright, Jon Clarke. Subs used: Paul Wood, Danny Lima, Paul Noone. Not used: Steve Pickersgill.

Bulls: Michael Withers; Stuart Reardon, Jamie Langley, Leon Pryce, Lesley Vainikolo; Iestyn Harris, Paul Deacon; Joe Vagana, Robbie Paul, Stuart Fielden, Jamie Peacock, Brad Meyers, Lee Radford. Subs used: Andy Lynch, Rob Parker, Karl Pryce, Brett Ferres.

Referee: Ian Smith

Scoring: Nathan Wood sidesteps infield and twists through a challenge to touch down, 7mins, Briers converts, 6-0; Meyers surges over after gathering Leon Pryce's pass, 10mins, 6-4; Grose just makes it over the whitewash after being sent clear by Briers, 13mins, Briers adds extras, 12-4; Nathan Wood perplexes Bradford before feeding Grose, 20mins, 16-4; Fa'afili has the simple task of touching down Briers' grubber kick, 23mins, 20-4; Bulls obstruction enables Briers to kick 20m penalty, 31mins, 22-4; Briers makes no mistake with a drop goal attempt, 40mins, 23-4; Martin Gleeson nips inside Vainikolo after collecting Briers' kick, 47mins, Briers kicks goal, 29-4; Vainikolo powers over from Karl Pryce's pass, 50mins, Deacon converts, 29-10; Vainikolo runs length of field to score after intercepting stray kick from Briers, 54mins, Deacon goals, 29-16; Langley finds a gap after being supplied by Harris, 63mins, Deacon adds extras, 29-22; Martin Gleeson crosses after fooling Bradford with a swift sidestep, 69mins, Briers converts, 35-22; Withers sneaks past Nathan Wood to touch down in the corner, 72mins, Deacon kicks goal, 35-28; Harris finds Langley again to set up a nail-biting finish, 79mins, 35-32.

Penalties: Wolves 6 Bulls 3

Scrums: Wolves 2 Bulls 5

Attendance: 10,654

Warrington Guardian top men: Lee Briers 3pts, Nathan Wood 2pts, Brent Grose 1pt.

Interesting note: Bradford's defeat means they have now lost three consecutive league matches for the first time since Super League III, seven years ago.

Table to date

P W D L F A Pt

Leeds 9 8 0 1 368 128 16

St Helens 9 7 0 2 334 181 14

Hull 9 6 0 3 227 196 12

Wigan 9 5 0 4 231 169 10

Huddersfield 9 5 0 4 226 216 10

London 9 4 0 5 282 236 8

Bradford 9 4 0 5 263 247 8

Salford 9 4 0 5 162 185 8

Warrington 9 4 0 5 185 232 8

Wakefield 9 4 0 5 219 316 8

Widnes 9 2 0 7 178 364 4

Leigh 9 1 0 8 146 351 2