[list[*Two GFs (and hearing after the 2001 one that Dave Whelan had gone in the changing room before the game to remind the Wigan players to make sure they had their JJB caps on when they went to pick up the trophy).[/*:m
[*Beating them 10-6 in front of 14,000 in 1994 in the first leg of the title decider.[/*:m
[*Coming back from the dead in 2005 with the Withers try.[/*:m[/list:u

I wasn't there to see Ellery Hanley get sent off at Odsal, maybe someone can tell us about that one. Otherwise, feel free to expand upon mine or add your own.

Coming back with 12 men to beat them 20-12 in July (?) '96 in front of 17k plus at Odsal. (I may have got facts from different games mixed up there)

I'd suggest that was the night summer rugby really arrived at Odsal, hard to believe it is knocking on 13 years ago.

Facts are spot on. Donagher was the one who walked. It was the week after we beat Stains at Odsal. Think that was the defining week in the rise of the Bulls?

The game the following April when we came from behind to win at Central Park was probably another defining one?

Top night, and id agree with the feeling of summer rugby on that one, it still seemed hot and light well into the evening and the atmosphere was magic. I remember Bernard Dywer scoring a try in the corner late on, but he was only in that position because he was knackered and hadnt got back from the previous set of play!!

My personal favorite though would have to be the 2001 GF as its in my top 3 or 4 Bradford performances of my lifetime. Unstopabull that day.... sorry, i'll get me coat, time for bed...

Bit hard to argue with that one! That was the one when Naylor barged right through the "world-class" Renouf, right? And the one where Jimmy got us an early penalty by running straight at a marker who was not stood square, then Henry took the penalty from about ten yards in front of where the offence took place...? What a night that was! Might even enter nostalgia mode and dig the video out again...although not so sure thats a good idea given how things stand right now...

yep thats the one, withers first half hat trick, Henry kicking anything in sight. I remember hearing robbie talk about the pre game teamtalk between the players in the dressing room, where they said that people were saying that Bradford only had a plan A, could only play bully boy tactics, etc etc... So the team said if thats what they think, lets give em plenty of plan A tonight and see if they can cope with it (or more inspiring words to that effect that I've since forgotton!). I've never seen a Bradford team hit the ground running like we did that night, Wigan had no chance.

Bulls 20 Wigan 12 was some game - Simon Haughton's hair-flick getting Jeremy Donougher sent off after about twenty minutes, and twelve nil down largely thanks to Henry Paul. Medders kept us in it, Bernard Dywer's amazing try (we just kept passing it till they ran out of men, even we had 12 and they had 13) levelled it up and then a brace from Jon Scales... dig out the video and hear the roar when he goes over, makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Here's a slightly more obscure one - anyone remember Medders dribbling round Steve Hampson soccer-style to score the winner back in the very early 90s. Pretty sure it was on Grandstand, perhaps in the Regal Trophy.

The 22-18 win with Matt Calland's late (last minute?) try at Central Park in '97 has to be up there too.

Harvey Howard dragged off after about fifteen minutes wasn't he? All the talk was how we could only win at Valley Parade because the pitch was so small and you could kick a goal from anywhere, whereas the wide open spaces of Old Trafford would find us out. HP neatly disproved that in the second minute and we were on our way.

Not really old enough to remember some of the occasions being talked about in the thread at the moment, but 2005 definitely sticks out in my mind. Talk about a turning point.

I remember going to Widnes second game of the season, we were terrible and wondered where our first win was coming from (which doesn't sound too different from a particular season nowadays..!). The Widnes fans were outside the ground singing at our coach "going down, going down!". We ended up winning the GF and they went down!



We looked dead and buried in the Wigan game too, and Withers popped through the line and sealed the win. Weren't we something like 3 scores behind in the last 10?

We definitely scored three tries in the last 9 minutes.

With ten minutes left I said to the person that I was at the game with that, if we won this game, we'd go on to win the title. He looked at me like I was mad, and continued to do so when I maintained that opinion throughout the rest of the season.

Right then Meg, lets have a prediction for this season!

we were 27-12 down after 61 min, leon (i think) sent withers in on just about the last set and deacs had to kick the 2 to win it from about 10m in from the touchline. It was one of those moments where the fans were just going crazy - I hugged a complete stranger, the Bulls fan next to me

(only about 500ish of us, poor following that night is the only regret from that night.)

Erm, just like 2005, a team from West Yorkshire will win the Grand Final.

I think that was the first time I'd personally seen us win away at wigan... seen plenty of stuffings at CP.



did he even get back on? I'm not sure he did, he dropped the ball or some other infrigement with his first touch and never recovered IIRC.


nice thread, all happy days, why do we have to spoil it by playing on sat?

27-12 down with ten to go. Won 27-28. JP absolutely immense.

[url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_union/article877101.eceHere's a forgotten gem[/url - winning at the JJB in the last minute thanks to a Jimmy chip for Leon, the week after beating the Rhinos in Cardiff. Great try from Les off a superb bit of Paul Deacon skill as well.

Oh, and [url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2001/oct/13/rugbyleague.commentfrom the morning of the 2001 GF[/url...




And from [url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2002/mar/01/rugbyleague.comment2just before the start of the following season[/url and another fine win at the JJB...

You're just inviting those Fartown trolls aren't you?

It was Mr Harris.

Ah! cheers for that, thought my memory might be a bit shaky about that, so he was worth the money afterall

No one going to indulde me on the Medley dribble? As I recall, it was worthy of Ryan Giggs.

The game at Central Park where we lost but it was a cracking game.
An end of season play-off game in I think 97 or 98.

I took my (rather posh) work mate to the game and she did ok picking up the rules of the game and the general etiquette of watching games at wigan until trying to order a pimms at the bar under the stand. I don't think they'd ever ever been asked for a pimms in the long history of central park.
I still miss going there

A 9-0 win at Central Park in 1990 - Premiership semi final....

....Only to go on and get battered against Widnes in the final

33-2 Regal Trophy final. The greatest game ever.

I remember that game. Our new scrum half Brett Iti had a superb game scoring one try and running rings around Wigan. Big prop Craig Richards rampaged through a few times too. Oddly, both players went from displaying huge potential to being nowhere in 18 months. Whatever happened there?

On the Ellery send off he seemed to say something out of turn to Whitfield on the way off the pitch at half time. Whitfield signalled he was "off" and the popular side went doo-lally! It was a great day.

Wasn't it rumoured that Hanley said something along the lines of "I'll see you in the 2nd division for that" (after the sending off) and Whitfield ended up being demoted for a week!???