Wakefield Trinity had looked on course for an invincible season in the Betfred Championship, but Saturday suggested another Grand Final shock could be on the cards.
London Broncos made a surprising run to Super League last year, upsetting favorites Featherstone and Toulouse in the play-offs. While automatic promotion and relegation are no longer in place, Bradford Bulls are aware that IMG is still evaluating their performance. They’re close to Super League status and a Grand Final win could secure their promotion.
Toulouse’s recent 32-4 victory over previously unbeaten Wakefield highlights that they are vulnerable, underscoring how significant Bradford’s 12-12 draw in France earlier this month was.
Bradford head coach Eamon O’Carroll commented on Saturday’s result, saying, “I can’t speak for everyone else, but we’re quietly confident in what we’re doing.”
“We still need to be better though, because we were confident going into our three games with Wakefield and we came out on the wrong side of the result every time.
Bulls have been beaten three times by Wakefield this year, but the pair’s game earlier this month was a close-run affair. (Image: Tom Pearson.)
O’Carroll acknowledged the strength of Toulouse but noted that they are just as human as the Bulls. He was not surprised by Toulouse’s success against Wakefield, given the challenges of travel and early starts. Drawing on his experience with Catalans, he expressed pride in Bradford’s earlier performance in Toulouse, where they secured a point despite being reduced to 12 men for 20 minutes.
Regarding the Bulls’ 36-28 win over York, O’Carroll was asked if there was a natural drop-off after facing top teams like Toulouse and Wakefield. He cautioned against underestimating any team, pointing out that results like Barrow’s unexpected 8-6 victory over Sheffield show that upsets can happen and anyone can beat anyone.
O’Carroll emphasized the need for the team to perform at their best every week, stressing that every opponent will present a challenge. He noted that achieving their goals requires consistent high-level performance.
Although he felt most of his team wasn’t at their best in Sunday’s match, he praised two players with limited first-team experience. Eliot Peposhi was recognized for his contributions off the bench, and young Harvey Makin, on loan from Wigan, made a strong impression on his debut.
O’Carroll commented on Makin, saying: “Harvey’s someone we’ve been trying to get in for a long time. I really rate him, I like what he’s about, and he’s probably different from some of the front rowers we’ve brought in recently.”
O’Carroll praised Harvey Makin for his impressive energy and fitness, noting that he met the challenge of carrying the ball hard and winning defensive collisions. He expressed confidence that Makin will continue to improve.
Regarding Dan Okoro, another new loanee who didn’t play against York, O’Carroll explained: “We went a different route with Dan due to a disrupted week of injuries and assessing availability. We needed to bring in some loan players quickly before we could fully evaluate the squad, so we opted to use Eliot instead.”