Bradford Bulls 24, Halifax 32

WHICH is the more remarkable, Halifax beating the Bulls for the fourth match in succession, or the fact that Bradford face the grim prospect of potentially missing out on the Qualifiers?

Richard Marshall’s part-time outfit continue to hold an Indian sign over their big-city neighbours after beating them yet again.

Their sequence of wins over the Bulls is damning enough but this latest loss was particularly damaging as it left Rohan Smith’s men in fifth spot with just four games remaining.

Certainly the way in which Halifax ripped their full-time hosts apart during the second half will give the rookie Bulls head coach plenty to think about.

The game followed a worryingly familiar pattern to the visit of Batley seven days earlier: early Bradford dominance, establish a lead, allow the opposition back into the game.

Kurt Haggerty’s drop-goal had scraped a win over Batley but Halifax replied to Kieren Moss’ early opener with two tries to lead 12-6 at the break.

After the break, the visitors simply ran amok, racking up four more scores to seal a comfortable win before two Bradford tries in the closing stages glossed over Halifax’s superiority somewhat.

Bradford were resplendent in a specially-designed kit to celebrate Armed Forces Day.

Smith had even primed his players for the match with an address from a former solider, Corporal Paul “Tug” Hartley, who showed extraordinary heroism in a minefield in Afghanistan in 2006.

In Kajaki, a village in the north, a group had become marooned in the middle of a minefield and, as one soldier after another was hit by explosions, their colleagues braved the lethal carpet to treat them.

Their heroics were immortalised in Kajaki: The True Story, a film which catalogues the events leading up to the ordeal and the incredible story of its survivors.

Corporal Hartley addressed the Bulls squad on Saturday about life in the heat of battle but Halifax showed the greater fighting qualities yesterday.

The last time they had rocked up at Odsal, Marshall’s men won 52-18 in last season’s Qualifiers.

Marshall’s side arrived for the latest encounter in buoyant mood after four wins a draw in their last five outings.

The absence of influential second-rower Dane Manning aside, the visitors were pretty much at full strength.

They fielded a settled and experienced side featuring seasoned campaigners such as Scott Murrell, Ben Kaye, Simon Grix, Steve Tyrer and Luke Ambler.

The Bulls began brightly when winger Ethan Ryan collected possession and made a good 30 metres down the left flank.

As Ben Heaton made a tackle to halt his progress, the Halifax centre was temporarily knocked out hurt and left prone on the turf.

It was a worrying sight as he was attended to by medics for almost 15 minutes before he was carefully placed on a stretcher and into a waiting ambulance at pitchside.

Thankfully, just minutes later the ambulance performed a U-turn as Heaton was dropped back off by the changing rooms before walking back to the Halifax bench.

He was later taken to hospital for routine checks and was replaced by Ed Barber before Bradford began to dominate field position, only to struggle to find the guile required to unlock the Halifax defence.

The led in the seventh minute, though, when the impressive Adam O'Brien broke superbly out of dummy half and showed intelligence to usher the supporting Moss over the line for a predatory finish.

It was Moss’ first try for the club and Danny Addy, paired in the halves with St Helens loanee Lewis Charnock, added the extras to make it 6-0.

The Bulls then lost Paul Clough to a shoulder injury and he was replaced by Steve Crossley as the challenges came thick and fast from both sides.

Adam Sidlow put a big shot on Tyrer and the Bulls almost conjured an exhilarating second through the ubiquitous Moss.

Moss supported the attack superbly, swapping passes with Ryan down the left flank and getting to Halifax's 20-metre line.

O'Brien was then held up before Matty Blythe dropped the ball to end the home pressure.

At times the Bulls produced some delightful rugby, offloading as if it were a practice game, but then Halifax scored out of nowhere.

It came when the wily Murrell took a pass from Gareth Moore, cleverly skipped through the Bulls' defence and produced a perfectly-timed pass to send prop Adam Tangata crashing over the line from 10 metres out.

That try flooded Halifax with confidence and there was no mistaking what the game meant on the terraces.

"Stand up if you hate the Bulls," was the chant from the several hundred visiting supporters.

Murrell and the outstanding Moore began to see plenty of the ball and, along with hooker Ben Kaye, they knitted Halifax together superbly.

Will Sharp came within inches of touching down in the left corner after more fine inter-passing from the visitors.

Joe Philbin and Stuart Howarth were introduced for their debuts midway through the first half, wearing squad numbers 41 and 42 respectively, and Jay Pitts narrowly failed to get a hand to Addy's teasing grubber kick.

Yet Halifax grew increasingly dangerous when in Bradford's half and the impish Moore was at the heart of all their best attacks alongside Murrell.

Indeed, the pair combined to devastating effect in the 35th minute when Moore's neat pass sent Murrell bustling over the line from close range and Tyrer's second goal made it 12-6.

The try came after prop Luke Ambler was twice denied from close range, coming within inches of scoring on both occasions.

The Bulls almost found the right response before the break but referee Chris Kendall called back play for a forward pass to Addy as he looked set to race clear from 20 metres out.

After a balanced opening to the second half, Halifax claimed the all-important opening score of the second period.

It came when the visitors worked the ball from left to right, stretching the Bulls' defence to breaking point as James Saltonstall collected Barber's fine pass and cut back inside to finish in style in the right corner.

Tyrer missed the touchline conversion and Halifax soon lost second-rower Matt Sarsfield to a dead leg.

Four minutes later, Bradford replied when Haggerty showed impressive skill to engineer his way through the Halifax defence and Addy’s second goal made it 16-12.

Yet Halifax simply rode roughshod through the Bulls’ defence as a mistake saw the ball fall to former Odsal loanee Jacob Fairbank, who touched down unopposed.

Tyrer then collected an exquisite long pass from Moore to score in the left corner for a fifth Halifax try before Charnock went off injured.

Halifax scored again when Barber powered through the Bulls’ defence to cross in the right corner to further expose the hosts’ defensive frailties.

With time running out, Kris Welham touched down in the left corner before Ryan showed impressive desire and composure to latch onto Haggerty’s kick and touch down.