Wakefield Trinity beat Bulls for fifth straight win

Wakefield Trinity climbed to second in the Betfred Super League table after grinding out a 26-12 victory over Bradford Bulls at Odsal, extending their winning streak to five matches.

Daryl Powell’s side wasted no time taking control. Tom Johnstone crossed in the corner inside the opening two minutes to give Trinity an early lead.

Bradford had already been forced into a reshuffle before kick-off after losing Loghan Lewis to injury during the warm-up. The home side then saw tries from Isaiah Vagana and Caleb Aekins disallowed by the video referee.

Ethan Ryan got Bradford on the scoreboard after 21 minutes, collecting a high kick to bundle over. But Ryan’s afternoon quickly turned sour. He was sent to the sin bin for an in-air collision with Wakefield full-back Josh Rourke.

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Trinity made their numerical advantage count as Will Tate grounded the ball to extend the lead on the half-hour mark. Bradford then lost second-row Dan Russell to a head injury assessment — he was later taken to hospital for further checks on an eye problem resulting from the collision.

Luke Hooley kicked a penalty to trim the deficit to 10-6 at the break.

Jay Pitts burst through a gap to score another Wakefield try early in the second half. Ryan then had an effort ruled out for a knock-on. The Bulls kept pushing.

Jayden Nikorima offloaded to Chris Atkin, and Hooley’s conversion cut the gap to four points again after 52 minutes. Bradford thought they had drawn level just past the hour when Nikorima reached over the line, but Rourke slid in to block the ball with his knee. The video referee upheld the on-field decision of no try.

The ball stayed out, and Wakefield survived the spell of relentless pressure.

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Trinity eventually sealed the result when a lengthy video review cleared a try from Rourke in the corner after a high kick was fumbled on the line. Harvey Smith barged over from close range with three minutes left to put the game beyond doubt.

The win moved Wakefield above Wigan in the table, though the Warriors have a game in hand. Trinity’s fifth straight victory underlines the consistency Powell has built after a mixed start to the season.

Bradford, meanwhile, will have concerns about the injury to Russell and the two disallowed tries that could have changed the game’s momentum.

The Super League season continues with Rivals Round scheduled for late July, followed by the elimination play-offs in September and the Grand Final on October 3.