Betfred League One

Bradford Bulls 54

Keighley Cougars 4

KEIGHLEY Cougars were handed a second derby drubbing of the year at the hands of local rivals Bradford Bulls.

Despite not being played in the bad tempers and tensions that had fuelled the previous two meetings in 2018, the visitors played 56 minutes with 12 men after Brendon Rawlins saw red for striking.

Head coach Craig Lingard admitted it was the moment that changed the game.

“The red card was massive turning point in that game,” said Lingard.

“Effectively then we were really struggling, we were already down by two scores and it really put us behind the eight-ball so it was massively difficult from that point on.

“I can’t knock the effort from the boys, though, as they dug deep and tried their rocks off.

“But a little bit of dumb rugby and poor decision making at times made it even harder for ourselves but the effort was there.

“Despite that though, we always had our backs against the wall after going down to 12 men so early on in the game.”

The Bulls opened the scoring after just three minutes when Joe Keyes sold Darrell Griffin and Josh Lynam a superb dummy and exposed the gap left to race through and score.

The home side’s second try came from a questionable decision from the touch judge as Tuoyo Egodo’s foot was on the touch line as he grounded the ball.

Then came the deciding moment of the game as after the Cougars were placed on a team warning, Rawlins was shown a red card for an alleged incident of striking, much to the bemusement of the healthy Odsal crowd.

Ethan Ryan then scored the first of an eventual hat-trick on the day as he touched down after Andy Gabriel struggled under pressure from Egodo after a swirling Joe Keyes kick.

Then the extra man advantage finally came into fruition from the hosts as the extra numbers on the overlap proved too much for the visitors and Ryan walked in at the corner for his second try of the afternoon.

The numbers game would be more obvious in the second-half as the Bulls piled on the pressure and the Cougars crumbled near to their own line.

It would be Keighley who had the first real chance of the half but Scott Law was held up by the Bulls defence.

George Flanagan grabbed the first of an eventual brace as he burrowed his way over from dummy-half after a Law knock down wiped the tackle count.

After setting up a try in the first-half, Keyes then became a real thorn in the Cougars' side as he took the game by the scruff of the neck.

The half-back broke the defensive line after the visitors were caught too wide in defence and put a try on a plate for the supporting Elliott Minchella.

Keyes then caught Gabriel cold once more with another teasing cross-field kick, this time Ryan beat the returning winger in the air and knocked down to Egodo who crossed for his second.

Flanagan then scored his second after racing unchallenged to the line as the defence was left scrambling from a Matt Garside break.

Ryan sealed his trio of tries after some dumb rugby from the Cougars saw a wild pass bounce to the unmarked winger on the left edge.

Egodo then sealed his own hat-trick after another Keyes kick left Gabriel struggling under pressure.

Cougars managed to avoid the embarrassment of being nilled, however, in the last minute as Cameron Leeming managed to fight his way over the line.

MATCH STATS:

PLAYER RATINGS:

COUGARS: Hawkyard 7; Gabriel 4; Haynes 7; Leeming 5; Aaronson 5; Parker 5; Gaylor 5; Griffin 6; Feather 5; Bailey 5; Lynam 6; Rawlins 5; Emmett 5. Subs: Law 5; Conroy 5; Nicholson 5; Kenga 6.

BULLS: McNally 5; Pownall 5; Egodo 8; Gibson 5; Ryan 7; Keyes 8; Lilley 5; Kirk 5; Hallas 5; Crossley 5; Garside 6; Minchella 6; Wood 5. Subs: Peltier 6; Flanagan 7; Pickersgill 5; Green 5.

COUGARS: Tries: Leeming (80). Goals: Aaronson (0/1). Sent Off: Rawlins (24 – Striking)

BULLS: Tries: Keyes (4); Egodo (13, 61, 77); Ryan (32, 40, 72); Flanagan (47, 64); Minchella (52). Goals: Keyes (7/10).

ATTENDANCE:

REFEREE: Stephen Race (Wakefield)