Bradford Bulls 2008

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Bradford Bulls
Season 2008
League Super League (Europe)
Coach Flag of EnglandSteve McNamara
League position
Top Pointscorer Flag of England Paul Deacon
Top Goalscorer Flag of England Paul Deacon
Top Tryscorer Flag of Fiji Semi Tadulala
Highest home attendance 11,838
Lowest home attendance 3,569
Challenge Cup Quarter Finals

Contents

[edit] February

Super League 13 Started in February with a game against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Bradford narrowly were deafeted by a in form Wakefield side 24-26, Bradford tries came from Newton 2, Platt, Sykes and Deacon kicked 4 goals. The Bulls lost at Wakefield in their opening Super League fixture but responded by running in six tries during a comprehensive success against the Giants. Simon Finnigan scored twice on his debut and Terry Newton and James Evans once each as Bradford opened up a 24-6 lead by half-time. And further tries from Paul Sykes and Glenn Morrison after the break eased the hosts to victory. Paul Deacon enjoyed a perfect evening with the boot, kicking six conversions and a penalty for a personal haul of 14 points. The Bulls played St Helens in there last game of February, Bradford lost 22-16 tries came from James Evans, Paul Sykes(2)

Bradford coach Steve McNamara admitted "We're disappointed we've not won the game," he said. "Obviously we gave ourselves a mountain to climb. Going 16-0 down wasn't in the script." "We looked to have got ourselves back in it but proceeded to throw it away a second time. Saints capitalised on the errors we made and the penalties we conceded." "We were left chasing the game and became a bit anxious."

[edit] March

Bradford's first game of March was against Wigan Warriors coached by Brian Noble, Bradford lost 28-14, the Bulls have lost three of their opening four matches, tries came from Chris Feather, Wayne Godwin. The Bulls battled to the dying seconds at the Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan, to beat the Catalans Dragons 20-18 and record a hard fought victory in the engage Super League. Paul Deacon held his nerve to convert Simon Finnigan's 79th-minute try that put the Bulls in front just before the final hooter. It was a crucial score for the visitors as it stopped them suffering a third straight loss. The other tries came from Shontayne Hape, Glenn Morrison and Paul Deacon kicked 4 goals. Bradford recorded their second successive win in engage Super League, beating Warrington 23-10 at the Grattan Stadium, Odsal. Tries from Paul Sykes, Ben Jeffries and Sam Burgess and some solid kicking from Paul Deacon helped the Bulls to earn their third win after a stuttering start to the campaign. engage Super League champions Leeds Rhinos were in ruthless form against their arch-rivals, running in eight tries without reply to rack up their biggest margin of victory over the Bradford Bulls in engage Super League. Bradford lost 44-2

Paul Deacon produced an inspired performance to help Bradford Bulls return to winning ways with victory over struggling Harlequins. Deacon’s try and six goals saw him collect 16 points which helped the Bulls restore some pride after their loss to West Yorkshire rivals Leeds Rhinos, tries came from Dave Halley, James Evans, Paul Deacon, Sam Burgess, David Solomona. Semi Tadulala collected a hat-trick of tries as the Bradford Bulls proved that struggling Castleford Tigers will need more than Dwain Chambers to avoid the wooden spoon. Steve McNamara’s side ran in nine tries during a one-sided clash to claim their fourth win in five games which lifts them up into fifth place in the engage Super League. The tries came from Ben Jeffries, Wayne Godwin, Chris Nero, James Evans, Paul Sykes, Shontayne Hape. on the 31st March 2008 Bradford were one 0f 19 clubs to submit licence application for 2009.

[edit] April

Bradford Bulls moved to joint second in the engage Super League as they eventually ran away 24-8 with an often tight game at Hull F.C.. tries came from Matt Cook, Semi Tadulala, Sam Burgess, Chris Nero. The Bradford Bulls missed the chance to go second in the engage Super League as Hull Kingston Rovers held on for a 20 points to 18 victory at Craven Park. tries came from Paul Sykes, Semi Tadulala, David Solomona. The Bradford Bulls ran riot with a club record 17-try, 98-6 romp in their fourth-round Carnegie Challenge Cup tie against Toulouse Olympique at the Grattan Stadium, Odsal. tries came from Dave Halley(4), Semi Tadulala(3), James Evans, Tame Tupou, Ben Jeffries(2), Sam Burgess, Glenn Morrison(3), Simon Finnigan(2) and Iestyn Harris kicked a club record (15) goals. Bradford Bulls survived a tense finish to deny Wigan Warriors second place in engage Super League. The Bulls seemed set for a convincing victory after blitzing their Grattan Stadium visitors with early tries from Semi Tadulala, Shontayne Hape and Ben Jeffries. Wigan responded through Pat Richards and Phil Bailey in the second half but the Bulls just had enough and James Evans settled the win in the last minute. Bradford won Won 26 - 12

[edit] May

Bradford Lost 40-26 against Leeds in 2nd Millennium Magic in Cardiff tries came from Shontayne Hape, Semi Tadulala(2), Sam Burgess. On the 11th May Bradford Bulls played against Catalans Dragons in the fifth rd of the Challenge Cup, and marched into the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a clinical eight-try 46-16 demolition of last season's beaten finalists and a step closer to their first Challenge Cup final since 2003. Tries came from Dave Halley, Shontayne Hape, Semi Tadulala(3), Sam Burgess, Chris Nero, Jamie Langley and Paul Deacon kicked 7 Goals. On 18/05/08 Bradford claimed a 46-24 victory The Bulls battled hard today to make sure they weren't the latest big gun to fall at The Jungle. Tries came from Paul Sykes, Terry Newton, Glenn Morrison, Ben Jeffries, Jamie Langley, Michael Platt, Simon Finnigan, Sam Burgess and Deacon kicked 7 goals.

Defending champions Leeds Rhinos demonstrated a killer touch to complete a hat-trick of engage Super League wins over their arch-rivals and surge into an eight-point lead. Bradford Bulls conceded 84 points in their two previous derby defeats but overcame a series of injury blows to produce one of their best performances of the season. The Bulls outplayed the champions for long periods of a thrilling encounter and twice held the lead but they could not match the Rhinos’ finishing ability. Bradford were hit by the late withdrawal of half-backs Paul Deacon and Iestyn Harris with pulled hamstrings and had winger Semi Tadulala taken to hospital with a dislocated shoulder. With back-up hooker Wayne Godwin also sidelined, coach Steve McNamara asked Terry Newton to play the full 80 minutes, keeping 18-year-old reserve Keale Carlile unused on the bench and still waiting to make his Super League debut. Bradford Bulls lost 30-14 to Leeds Rhinos tries came from Dave Halley, Tame Tupou, David Solomona

[edit] June

Hull FC gave Richard Agar a dream start to his reign as head coach with a shock 16 -22 victory over a disappointing Bradford side in the quarter-finals of the Carnegie Challenge Cup at the Grattan Stadium, Odsal. The 2005 cup winners have gained only four victories in Super League this year but they are now 80 minutes away from a trip to Wembley after ending a run of six successive defeats at Odsal. Fortunate to still be in the competition after fielding an ineligible Jamie Thackray in both earlier rounds, Hull must feel their name is on the trophy after producing a spirited performance to stun the Bulls in front of a crowd of just 5,597 at the Grattan Stadium, Odsal. The visitors edged a forgettable first half punctuated by a flurry of penalties and yellow cards and stood firm in defence in the face of intense Bradford pressure in the second half. The Bulls, led by Jamie Langley in the absence of both captain Paul Deacon and his official deputy Glenn Morrison, lacked creativity despite dominating possession and territory. Bradford Bulls Tries came from Paul Sykes, Tame Tupou and Goals were kicked by Iestyn Harris(4)


08/06/08 Bradford Bulls V Catalans Dragons

13/06/08 St Helens V Bradford Bulls

22/06/08 Bradford Bulls V Hull FC

29/06/08 Bradford Bulls V Hull Kingston

[edit] July

06/07/08 Huddersfield Giants V Bradford Bulls

13/07/08 Warrington Wolves V Bradford Bulls

20/07/08 Bradford Bulls V Wakefield Trinity Wildcats

27/07/08

[edit] August

03/08/08 Harlequins RL V Bradford Bulls

08/08/08 Leeds Rhinos V Bradford Bulls

17/08/08 Bradford Bulls V Hull FC

24/08/08 Bradford Bulls V Hull Kingston

31/08/08

[edit] September

07/09/08 Castleford Tigers V Bradford Bulls

[edit] 2008 Squad Stats

For more details on this topic, see Bradford Bulls.
  • Appearances and Points include all matches (As of Rd 15, June 8th 2008)
No Nat Player Position Weight & Height Age Previous Club Contracted Until Apps Tries Goals DG Points
1 Flag of Ireland Michael Platt Full Back 93 kg, 6 ft 2 in 24 Castleford Tigers 2011 11 2 0 0 8
2 Flag of Wales Dave Halley Left Wing 78 kg, 5 ft 9 in 21 Bradford Bulls 2009 14 7 0 0 28
3 Flag of Wales James Evans Left Centre 89 kg, 6 ft 0 in 29 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 2008 18 6 0 0 24
4 Flag of New Zealand Shontayne Hape Left Centre 104 kg, 6 ft 2 in 26 New Zealand Warriors 2008 17 5 0 0 20
5 Flag of New Zealand Tame Tupou Left Wing 110 kg, 6 ft 4 in 25 Brisbane Broncos 2010 10 3 0 0 12
6 Flag of Wales Iestyn Harris Stand Off 92 kg, 6 ft 31 Cardiff Blues Rugby Union 2008 16 0 23/27 0 44
7 Flag of England Paul Deacon (c) Scrum Half 80 kg, 5 ft 9 in 29 Oldham Bears 2010 14 1 67/79 1 133
8 Flag of New Zealand Joe Vagana Prop 120 kg, 6 ft 3 in 33 New Zealand Warriors 2008 7 0 0 0 0
9 Flag of England Terry Newton Hooker 98 kg, 5 ft 10 in 29 Wigan Warriors 2009 16 4 0 0 16
10 Flag of England Andy Lynch Prop 108 kg, 6 ft 2 in 29 Castleford Tigers 2008 18 0 0 0 0
11 Flag of New Zealand David Solomona Second Row 108 kg, 6 ft 0 in 30 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 2009 13 3 0 0 12
12 Flag of Australia Glenn Morrison Second Row 97 kg, 6 ft 3 in 32 Parramatta Eels 2009 12 6 0 0 24
13 Flag of England Jamie Langley Loose Forward 108 kg, 6 ft 2 in 24 Bradford Bulls 2010 16 2 0 0 8
14 Flag of England Chris Feather Prop 114 kg, 6 ft 4 in 26 Leeds Rhinos 2009 9 1 0 0 4
15 Flag of England Matt Cook Second Row 95 kg, 6 ft 0 in 21 Bradford Bulls 2009 6 1 0 0 4
16 Flag of England Sam Burgess Loose Forward 111 kg, 6 ft 3 in 19 Bradford Bulls 2009 19 7 0 0 28
17 Flag of Wales Matt James Prop 100 kg, 6 ft 2 in 21 Bradford Bulls 2009 10 0 0 0 0
18 Flag of Wales Craig Kopczak Prop 98 kg, 6 ft 4 in 21 Bradford Bulls 2008 5 0 0 0 0
19 Flag of Ireland Simon Finnigan Loose Forward 95 kg, 6 ft 4 in 26 Salford City Reds 2008 18 6 0 0 24
20 Flag of England Wayne Godwin Hooker 13 st, 5 ft 6 in 26 Hull FC 2011 14 2 0 0 8
22 Flag of Australia Ben Jeffries Stand Off 14 st, 5 ft 9 in 27 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 2009 15 6 0 0 24
23 Flag of Italy Chris Nero Second Row 15 st, 6 ft 1 in 27 Huddersfield Giants 2010 15 3 0 0 12
24 Flag of England Paul Sykes Right Centre 92 kg, 5 ft 10 in 26 Harlequins RL 2010 18 9 1/3 0 38
25 Flag of Fiji Semi Tadulala Right Wing 14 st 10 lb, 6 ft 30 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 2008 13 14 0 0 52
26 Flag of England Jason Crookes Right Centre 83 kg, 5 ft 10 in 17 Bradford Bulls 2008 0 0 0 0 0
27 Flag of England Richard Johnson Centre 80kg, 5 ft 10 in 17 Bradford Bulls 2008 0 0 0 0 0
28 Flag of England Keale Carlile Hooker Bradford Bulls 0 0 0 0 0
Apps Tries Goals DG Points
86 90/108 1 529


|} Ever Present

Players used = 24

Average age = 25.8

[edit] Run-on Team 2008

Bradford Bulls Run-on Team

Subs

Subs

Injured

On Season Loan


[edit] 2008 Out of Contract Players

[edit] 2008 Fixtures/Results

2008 Engage Super League

Date Competition Round Opponent Result Score Home/Away Venue Tries Goals Attendance TV Report
10/02/2008 League 1 Wakefield L 24-26 Away Belle Vue Newton (2), Platt, Sykes Deacon (4/5) 9,851 Highlights Report
16/02/2008 League 2 Huddersfield W 38-12 Home Grattan Stadium Newton, Finnigan (2),Evans,Sykes, Morrison Deacon (7/7) 10,124 Highlights Report
22/02/2008 League 3 St Helens L 16-22 Home Grattan Stadium Evans,Sykes (2) Deacon (2/3) 10,756 Highlights Report
01/03/2008 League 4 Wigan L 14-28 Away JJB Stadium Godwin, Feather Deacon (3/3) 15,444 Highlights Report
08/03/2008 League 5 Catalans W 20-18 Away Stade Gilbert Morrison , Hape, Finnigan Deacon (4/4) 7,485 Highlights Report
16/03/2008 League 6 Warrington W 23-10 Home Grattan Stadium Sykes , Burgess, Jeffries Deacon (5/6) (1dg) 11,838 Highlights Report
20/03/2008 League 7 Leeds L 2-44 Away Headingley - Deacon (1/1) 19,296 Highlights Report
24/03/2008 League 8 Harlequins W 32-24 Home Grattan Stadium Burgess ,Halley,Solomona, Evans,Deacon Deacon (6/6) 8,428 Highlights Report
30/03/2008 League 9 Castleford W 50-4 Home Grattan Stadium Godwin, Evans,Tadulala(3) Sykes , Jeffries , Hape, Nero Deacon (6/8)
Harris (1/1)		 10,119 Highlights Report
06/04/2008 League 10 Hull FC W 24-8 Away KC Stadium Nero, Cook, Burgess, Tadulala Deacon (4/6) 13,617 Highlights Report
13/04/2008 League 11 Hull KR L 18-20 Away New Craven Park Tadulala, Sykes , Solomona Harris (3/3) 8,377 Highlights Report
19/4/2008 Cup 4 Toulouse W 98-6 Home Grattan Stadium Burgess, Jeffries (2), Tadulala (3), Morrison (3), Evans, Halley (4), Finnigan (2), Tupou Harris (15/17) 3,569 Report
27/04/2008 League 12 Wigan W 26-12 Home Grattan Stadium Tadulala , Hape , Jeffries , Evans Deacon (5/7) 11,896 Highlights Report
3/05/2008 League 13 Leeds L 26-40 Home Millennium Stadium Tadulala (2), Hape, Burgess Deacon (5/7) 30,628 Highlights Report
11/5/2008 Cup 5 Catalans W 46-16 Home Grattan Stadium Tadulala (3), Burgess, Halley, Langley, Nero, Hape Deacon (7/7), Harris 0/1 5,057 Report
18/05/2008 League 14 Castleford W 46-24 Away The Jungle Sykes ,Newton,Burgess,Morrison,Langley, Platt, Jeffries ,Finnigan Deacon (7/8) 7,855 Highlights Report
23/05/2008 League 15 Leeds L 14-30 Home Grattan Stadium Solomona, Halley, Tupou Sykes (1/3) 14,013 Highlights Report
1/6/2008 Cup QF Hull FC L 16-22 Home Grattan Stadium Tupou, Sykes Harris 4/5 5,597 Highlights Report
08/06/2008 League 16 Catalans Home Grattan Stadium Highlights Report
13/06/2008 League 17 St Helens Away GPW R Stadium Highlights Report
22/06/2008 League 18 Hull FC Home Grattan Stadium Highlights Report
29/06/2008 League 19 Hull KR Home Grattan Stadium Highlights Report
06/07/2008 League 20 Huddersfield Away Galpharm St Highlights Report
13/07/2008 League 21 Warrington Away Halliwell Jones Highlights Report
20/07/2008 League 22 Wakefield Home Grattan Stadium Highlights Report
03/08/2008 League 23 Harlequins Away The Stoop Highlights Report
08/08/2008 League 24 Leeds Away Headingley Highlights Report
17/08/2008 League 25 Hull FC Home Grattan Stadium Highlights Report
24/08/2008 League 26 Hull KR Home Grattan Stadium Highlights Report
07/09/2008 League 27 Castleford Away The Jungle Highlights Report
12/09/2008 Playoffs PO1 Highlights Report
13/09/2008 Playoffs PO2 Highlights Report
19/09/2008 Playoffs PO3 Highlights Report
20/09/2008 Playoffs PO4 Highlights Report
26/09/2008 Playoffs PO5 Highlights Report
04/10/2008 Playoffs SLGF Old Trafford Highlights Report

[edit] Results summary

As of Rd 14, 18th May 2008

Overall Home Away
Pld Pts W D L PF PA PD W D L PF PA PD W D L PF PA PD
15 16 8 0 7 373 322 +51 4 0 3 225 154 71 3 0 4 148 168 -20

[edit] Results by round

  • As of Rd 14, 18th May 2008
Round 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
Ground A H H A A H A H H A A H H A H H A H H A A H A A H H A
Result L W L L W W L W W W L W L W L 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

[edit] 2008 Player Signings/Transfers

2008 Transfer Gains

Name Signed from Fee Date
Flag of New Zealand Tame Tupou Brisbane Broncos N/A June 2007
Flag of New Zealand Joe Vagana N/A Re-signed for 1 year June 2007
Flag of England Paul Sykes Harlequins RL Undisclosed Fee Sept 2007
Flag of England Wayne Godwin Hull F.C. N/A Sept 2007
Flag of Australia Ben Jeffries Wakefield Wildcats Sept 2007
Flag of Fiji Semi Tadulala Wakefield Wildcats Sept 2007
Flag of Italy Chris Nero Huddersfield Giants N/A Sept 2007
Flag of Ireland Simon Finnigan Salford City Reds N/A Sept 2007

2008 Transfer Losses

Name Sold to Fee Date
Flag of New Zealand Lesley Vainikolo Gloucester RFC N/A June 2007
Flag of Scotland Ian Henderson New Zealand Warriors N/A November 2007
Flag of Australia Ben Harris North Queensland N/A November 2007
Flag of Australia Chris McKenna Doncaster RLFC N/A November 2007
Flag of England Nathan McAvoy Leigh Centurions N/A November 2007
Flag of England Marcus St Hilaire Oldham Roughyeds N/A November 2007
Flag of Scotland Richard Hawkyard Swinton Lions N/A November 2007

[edit] Super League XIII Table

Current table

Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Last game
1 Leeds Rhinos 15 13 0 2 490 190 +300 26 BRA 30-14 W
2 St Helens 15 10 0 5 443 295 +148 20 HUL 16-8 W
3 Catalans Dragons 15 9 1 4 348 324 +24 19 HUD 48-0 W
4 Wigan Warriors 15 9 0 6 343 358 -15 18 WAK 38-30 W
5 Bradford Bulls 15 8 0 7 373 322 51 16 LEE 14-30 L
6 Hull Kingston Rovers 15 7 1 7 293 333 -40 15 QUI 22-8 W
7 Warrington Wolves 15 7 0 8 347 378 -31 14 CAS 36-28 L
8 Harlequins RL 15 7 0 8 311 361 -50 14 HKR 22-8 L
9 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 15 7 0 8 318 376 -58 14 WIG 38-30 L
10 Huddersfield Giants 15 4 1 10 335 378 -43 9 CAT 48-0 L
11 Hull FC 15 4 1 10 266 341 -75 9 STH 8-16 L
12 Castleford Tigers 15 3 0 11 299 509 -210 6 WAR 36-28 W


Bradford Bulls
The Club
Representatives • History • Statistics • Honours • Players
Seasons
1996 • 1997 •1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002• 2003
2004• 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 •2011
Stadiums
Greenfield Athletic Ground • Birth Lane • Grattan Stadium • Valley Parade
Captains
Robbie Paul (1996-2004) • Jamie Peacock (2005)

Iestyn Harris (2006) • Paul Deacon (2007 -present)
Coaches
David Hobbs (1990 - 1993) • Peter Fox (1993-1995)
Brian Smith (1995-1996) • Matthew Elliott (1996-2000)
Brian Noble (2001-2006) • Steve McNamara (2006 - present)