Wakefield Trinity survived a major scare from newly promoted Bradford to climb up to second in the Super League table and further reinforce the growing belief they are in the conversation to claim a first title in the summer era.
The Bulls’ biggest successes have come at Odsal since returning to the top flight, with Kurt Haggerty’s side winning over half their home games in 2026. Wakefield arrived here heavy favourites having beaten the reigning champions Hull KR last weekend, but they did not have it all their own way on a balmy evening in West Yorkshire.
Their latest victory, which moves them above Wigan before the Warriors’ trip to Huddersfield on Friday night, was far from their most sparkling. However, they arguably showed enough resilience and character, particularly when facing a second half barrage in attack from Bradford, to hint that they can win games even when they are not quite at their best.
The evening could not have started any worse for Bradford. They made an error from the opening kick-off to immediately hand Wakefield possession and from a crisp piece of buildup play, the visitors broke the deadlock when Tom Johnstone stepped inside to score the opening try of the night.
Incredibly, Bradford would not touch the ball in attack for most of the opening 10 minutes – far from ideal in energy-sapping conditions. But to the Bulls’ credit, the defensive work they had to do was done superbly, denying Wakefield any further points despite Trinity routinely looking threatening in attack.
And the pressure Bradford absorbed in those early stages paid off. When it was their turn to attack, they too took their first meaningful opportunity as Chris Atkin’s well-weighted kick was superbly claimed by Ethan Ryan, who touched down to level the scores.
However, Ryan would soon turn into the villain after being sent to the sin-bin following a dangerous tackle on Wakefield’s full-back, Josh Rourke, that left him in a heap on the floor after claiming a high kick. That shifted the momentum back the way of the visitors, who once again began a sustained period of pressure on the Bulls’ line.
This time, it would yield more points. Bradford’s defence slid left to cover for the absence of Ryan but Wakefield went right, with Myles Lawford’s clever kick finding the space for Will Tate to collect and touch down, with Rourke converting to open up a six-point lead which, on the balance of play, Trinity just about merited.
Ryan’s return from the sin-bin steeled Bradford again though and they were able to claw the deficit back further via a penalty from the boot of Luke Hooley as the half-time hooter sounded. Wakefield had swept aside some of Super League’s best in recent weeks – but at the interval at Odsal, they were firmly in a battle, leading by just four.
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Wakefield returned from the break with renewed vigour, though. It took them just three minutes to open up what felt like a crucial two-score lead. Tyson Smoothy’s pinpoint ball from dummy-half caught the Bradford defence cold to allow Jay Pitts a free run to the line, with Rourke adding the extras to put Trinity ahead by ten.
But Bradford did not buckle. Despite losing more players to injury in the first half they continued to battle gamely against one of Super League’s best sides, getting a deserved reward as the hour mark approached when Jayden Nikorima sent Chris Atkin over, with Hooley’s goal reducing the deficit to just four again as an enthralling contest entered the final quarter in the balance.
That final quarter’s crucial moment arrived with ten minutes remaining. Caleb Aekins spilled a high Lawford kick, and Rourke just beat the Bradford fullback to the bouncing ball to ground it and put Wakefield back ahead by eight.
The Bulls pushed hard for a grandstand finale, but with three minutes left, Harvey Smith dived over from close range to ultimately seal another crucial win for Super League’s newest title contenders.
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