Warriors Academy beat Bradford Bulls

• Match Report as Wigan Warriors Academy win on the road against Bradford Bulls Academy.
• Eight different try scorers and six successful conversions.
• FT | Bradford Bulls Academy 6-44 Wigan Warriors Academy.

Wigan Warriors Academy produced a fanatstic performance as they ran out 6-44 victors against Bradford Bulls Academy at Odsal on Thursday night.

The Warriors would score three tries in the opening 15 through Kian McDermott, Nathan Lowe and Tom Ratchford, with Maddox Jeffery, Trent Kelly-Duffy, Noah Hodkinson, George O’Loughlin and Joseph Tyrer all producing tries as well.

Report

It was the Warriors who struck first after only three minutes, with Kian McDermott barging his way through the Bulls defensive line after some swift passing play made its way in from the left wing. Jack Farrimond made no mistake from right in front of the posts, converting to give the Wigan Academy an early 0-6 lead.

It would take only three minutes for the Warriors to get their second try of the night, with an unmarked Nathan Lowe getting under a lofted punt from the 20 inside the try zone. Farrimond again converted, this time from a much tighter angle on the left-hand side, to give The Warriors a 0-12 lead after only six minutes.

Wigan would complete their third try of the night on 16 minutes, with Tom Ratchford running onto a fantastic chip through, which bobbled up straight into his arms just beyond the sticks, with Farrimond completing a hat-trick of conversions to make it 0-18. Maddox Jeffery would get the fourth try four minutes later, bullying his way through the Bulls’ defender and going over in the right corner. Farrimond would complete his fourth conversion from directly on the right touchline, with a swerving kick making it 0-24.

The Academy Warriors would add another on 35 minutes, with Trent Kelly-Duffy pile-driving his way through the Bulls defensive line to put the ball down. Farrimond, from a slightly kinder angle this time, added his fifth conversion of the night for 0-30. Noah Hodkinson would get in on the act only moments later, helping create an overload on the right wing, receiving the ball and racing around the back to go in under the posts, with Farrimond completing a sixth conversion to make it 0-36 going into the interval.

It would take 15 minutes for the second-half deadlock to be broken, with both sides standing firm in their defensive shapes. It was, however, the Bradford Bulls who struck first, with Jacob Bateman touching down for the host’s first points of the evening, with George Flanagan Jr adding the extras to make it 6-36 after 55 minutes.

Despite the Bulls having an extended period of pressure on the Wigan line following the try, it was the visitors who would get the next points, with George O’Loughlin flying in at the left corner to get the Warriors’ seventh of the night. Farrimond was this time unable to convert his kick, leaving the score at 6-40 with 15 minutes remaining.

Joseph Tyrer would wrap up the game for the Warriors 3 minutes from time, running onto a chipped ball in behind to go down unchallenged, with Farrimond striking the post

Bradford Bulls Academy: George Flanagan Jr, Joel Lincoln, Prash Veerasamy, George West, Connor Sayner, Josh Perkins, Harry Milnes, Jamie Gill, Sam Ackroyd, Kiernan Tierney, Jacob Bateman, Jake Goldthorpe-Smith, Lewis Magson.

Interchange: George Rayner, Conlan Mawson, Louis Beattie, Kieran Blan.

18th Player: Dan Fretwell.

Tries: Bateman (55′)

Goals: Flanagan Jr (1/1)

Wigan Warriors Academy: Noah Hodkinson, Maddox Jeffery, Joseph Tyrer, Nathan Lowe, George O’Loughlin, Charlie Yeomans, Jack Farrimond, Ryan Brown, Tom Ratchford, Kian McDermott, Joshua Cartwright, Finlay Irwin, Kalum Rathbone.

Interchange: Taylor Kerr, Joe Baldwin, Trent Kelly-Duffy, Dylan Kelly-Duffy.

18th Player: Reece Rowcroft.

Tries: McDermott (3′), Lowe (6′), Ratchford (16′), Jeffery (20′), T. Kelly-Duffy (35′), Hodkinson (39′), O’Loughlin (65′), Tyrer (77′)

Goals: Farrimond (6/8)