OLDHAM 12 BRADFORD BULLS 42
KASEY SMITH, Boundary Park, Friday
BRADFORD were rampant as they ended Oldham’s long unbeaten home run to go level on points with Roughyeds in the Championship.
Boundary Park has been something of a fortress since the move from Whitebank, with the Roughyeds undefeated since the 2023 play-off game when North Wales won 13–12 against a Mike Ford-coached Oldham.
On Friday night, Oldham were given a rude awakening to what life is like in the Championship when the Bulls were simply too strong and too slick for a severely-depleted side who had barely 17 fit players available.
Fresh from winning the Standard Cup with Waterhead last week, local boy Marcus Geener was handed his professional debut, while Oldham were unable to name an 18th man due to Adam Milner, Matty Ashurst and Mo Agoro all dropping out, barely 24 hours before the match.
Danny Craven was a makeshift winger and the Bulls exploited that, with Lilley peppering kicks to the right corner. It was a mismatch between Craven and Jayden Okunbor, who had a field day batting down the kicks as the Bulls reaped the rewards.
Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e was a shining light in the depleted Roughyeds side but they could not find enough field position to damage Bradford, with those dropped balls proving costly.
But it was the Bulls who started the rustier, with the kick-off going out on the full. Oldham capitalised and fullback Laulu-Togaga’e floated a pass out to Craven who dived over to score inside the opening two minutes of the game.
Bradford found an instant response when Jayden Okunbor leaped above Craven to bat a cross-field kick back into the path of Jordan Lilley, who did the rest to level the scores.
Things went from bad to worse for the injury-hit Roughyeds as Bradford sliced through Oldham’s right edge with a break from their own half, culminating in Guy Armitage adding his name to the scoresheet.
Laulu-Togaga’e was lively in the Bradford final third and his mazy runs laid the platform for Pat Moran to go close and catch the Bulls offside. In front of the posts, Josh Drinkwater nailed the penalty, but that was as good as it got in the first 40 for Oldham.
Oldham’s inability to handle Bradford’s last-play kicks was proving costly, steadily eroding their defensive resilience. Another fumbled effort opened the door for Blake, who danced through for a try after Craven shot out of the line.
Lilley, noticing that weakness, pinged a grubber to the corner on the third tackle and Blake was there to grab his second.
Okunbor rose high again to bat down another high kick, setting up Zac Fulton to crash over and further extend the Bulls’ lead.
Killing the contest off was Lilley, who threw an audacious dummy to stroll through under the posts just after the break.
That same cross-field kick came up trumps again with Blake earning a hat-trick to rub salt into the Roughyeds’ wounds.
Bailey Aldridge pulled one back for Oldham before Okunbor got another late on when he finished in the corner to wrap up a big Bradford win.
GAMESTAR: Jordan Lilley sensed blood down the Oldham right edge and his kicks allowed the Bulls to run riot.
GAMEBREAKER: Lilley’s dummy and subsequent try, just after the break, dampened Oldham’s enthusiasm to find a way back into the game.
MATCHFACTS
OLDHAM
31 Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e
6 Danny Craven
30 George Hirst
3 Jordan Turner
20 Jack Johnson
7 Riley Dean
23 Josh Drinkwater
8 Gil Dudson
21 Lewis Baxter
19 Ted Chapelhow
27 Ben Forster
12 Adam Lawton
16 Pat Moran
Subs (all used)
14 Bailey Aldridge
10 Owen Farnworth
15 Jay Chapelhow
29 Marcus Geener
Tries: Craven (2), Aldridge (68)
Goals: Drinkwater 2/3
BULLS
26 Luke Hooley
37 Jayden Okunbor
3 Waqa Blake
25 Bayley Liu
5 Guy Armitage
6 James Meadows
9 Jordan Lilley
8 Michael Lawrence
18 Sam Hallas
10 Ebon Scurr
11 Zac Fulton
12 Matty Gee
13 James Donaldson
Subs (all used)
14 Mitch Souter
20 Ronan Michael
27 Eribe Doro
17 Franklin Pele
Tries: Lilley (6, 42), Armitage (9), Blake (23, 26, 47) Okunbor (30, 78)
Goals: Hooley 0/1, Lilley 5/7
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 4-4, 4-8, 6-8, 6-14, 6-20, 6-26; 6-32, 6-38, 12-38, 12-42
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Oldham: Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e; Bulls: Jordan Lilley
Penalty count: 6-6
Half-time: 6-26
Referee: Cameron Worsley
Attendance: 2,694
