Bradford Bulls 40 Warrington Wolves 24.

GRAND Final glory remains a dream this week after Wolves let the champions off the hook in Saturday's Super League elimination semi final.

It would perhaps be harsh and disrespectful to Bradford to say Wolves blew their big chance but Paul Cullen's battlers certainly got themselves in a position to win the game after a sensational fightback.

The fact the game slipped from their grasp in the final 12 minutes shows they are not yet the finished article but fans should feel assured Wolves appear to be getting closer and closer to major honours.

Unfortunately, until the new season starts next February, Wolves can only reflect on what might have been in 2006.

Wolves, 18-0 down in the first quarter at Odsal, took control with four stunning tries in 25 breathtaking minutes either side of the interval.

All of the momentum was going Wolves' way and the game was being played in Bradford's half.

The sense of belief on the field was being matched by the 5,000 or so members of the primrose and blue barmy army at the scoreboard end.

But Warrington did not ram home their advantage because players lost their composure when it mattered most.

A basic knock-on from experienced prop Paul Rauhihi and a forward pass from Chris Bridge in the next Wolves set allowed Bulls off the ropes and back into the arm wrestle.

Paul Deacon and Lee Briers swapped penalty successes and for six minutes the sides slogged it out with mistake-free football before Paul Wood committed a critical sin, flopping in a tackle on Shontayne Hape.

Deacon made Warrington pay, sidestepping Wood and then Stuart Reardon to put his side back in the driving seat at 28-24 with 12 minutes to go.

Wolves got a grip again and were looking menacing until the moment when Warrington hearts sunk.

Rauhihi, popping up almost in the centre position 10 metres from the Bradford line to receive Briers' long pass, dropped the ball right into the hands of Lesley Vainikolo.

The big winger was able to ride the desperate diving lunge of Briers before hitting top gear and completing a 90-metre try.

Game over, dream over, season over.

Cullen has often stated the margins between success and failure in Super League are minimal and that cruelly proved to be the case on Saturday night.

Match facts.

engage Super League elimination semi final, September 30, 2006.

Bradford Bulls 40 Warrington Wolves 24.

Bulls: Michael Withers, Marcus Bai, Ben Harris, Shontayne Hape, Lesley Vainikolo; Iestyn Harris, Paul Deacon; Joe Vagana, Terry Newton, Andy Lynch, Chris McKenna, Brad Meyers, Brett Ferres. Subs used: Matt Cook, Sam Burgess, Ian Henderson, Karl Pryce.

Wolves: Stuart Reardon; Henry Fa'afili, Martin Gleeson, Toa Kohe-Love, Richie Barnett; Lee Briers, Chris Bridge; Paul Wood, Mark Gleeson, Paul Rauhihi, Logan Swann, Mike Wainwright, Ben Westwood. Subs used: Brent Grose, Rob Parker, Michael Sullivan, Steve Pickersgill.

Referee: Richard Silverwood.

Scoring: Darts from Vagana, Harris and Newton pave the way for Deacon, Ferres and Hape to put Withers over, 7mins, Deacon kicks the goal, 6-0; Bridge's forward pass hands Bulls good field position and Meyers sucks in three defenders before turning and offloading to Withers for a walkover, 11mins, Deacon improves, 12-0; Briers is caught offside and Pryce cashes in by busting tackles from Kohe-Love and Wainwright to send Deacon home, 20mins, Deacon converts, 18-0; Ben Harris commits a high tackle on Wood and then cannot stop Briers, who darts and ducks Hape's tackle for a try, 25mins, Briers adds the extras, 18-6; Ferres' head-high tackle on Reardon sets the platform for Briers to kick over Vainikolo's head into Fa'afili's hands over the try line, 32mins, 18-10; Parker interferes with Vainikolo's play-the-ball and Deacon lands a 46m penalty, 40+mins, 20-10; Burgess is caught offside and Reardon's dodging skills and offload allow Wainwright, Sullivan and Bridge to send Kohe-Love in at the corner, 47mins, Briers boots the goal, 20-16; Bridge's long pass releases Kohe-Love and Barnett with supporting Wainwright feeding Reardon for four points, 49mins, Briers finds the target, 20-22; Briers rips the ball from Hape in a try-saving two-man tackle but it leads to a 20m Deacon penalty goal, 56mins, 22-22; Henderson is offside at a play-the-ball and Briers bangs over the penalty from 30m, 60mins, 22-24; Wood flops into a tackle on Hape and Bulls go downfield with Deacon stepping Wood and Reardon before crossing, 68mins, Deacon hits the mark, 28-24; Vainikolo pounces on Rauhihi's dropped pass and rides Briers' tackle before racing home from 90m, 74mins, Deacon converts, 34-24; Withers beats Reardon to Newton's kick and a try is awarded despite the failure to cleanly touch down, 79mins, Deacon kicks his eighth goal for a 24-point haul, 40-24.

Pens: Bulls 5 Wolves 9.

Scrums: Bulls 5 Wolves 5.

Attendance: 12,302.

Warrington Guardian top men: Wainwright 3pts, Sullivan 2pts, Reardon 1pt.

Interesting note: Fa'afili's try took him past last season's total of 23 and he is the only current player to have scored more than one play-off try for Warrington.