IT was a result that seemed obvious from the outset.
Even when glancing at the team sheet beforehand it was looking bad for Bulls, with absent playmakers Brett Kearney, Luke Gale and Jarrod Sammut severely blunting the hosts’ cutting edge before the game had even kicked off.
In the end the final score was actually pretty flattering to the home side, whose improved second half performance was worthy of at least one try but did not really deserve to reduce Wolves’ lead to just 14 points at the final hooter.
Not that Wolves cared, they did exactly what they set out to do.
That was to pick up two points in a manner that would expend as little energy and risk of injury as possible in a game that fell between two much larger targets.
Warrington’s dominance was more pronounced in the first half, keeping a Bulls side lacking in ideas at arm’s length throughout.
Bradford's defence started well, keeping Wolves out after successive drop outs in the opening minutes, but as soon as Ben Currie sliced through a gaping hole to open the scoring, the floodgates opened.
In the absence of in-form hooker Micky Higham, Michael Monaghan performed well, showing his usual guile at the ruck before being replaced by Simon Grix at dummy half during the second half.
This change meant the return of Chris Bridge from the knee injury that has limited him to only five appearances this year, and while it was encouraging to see the former England international return, there was little for him to do.
It is a credit to the utility of both Grix and Stefan Ratchford that a player of Bridge’s quality has not been missed more.
After playing at centre and full back in recent weeks, Ratchford got a chance to play in his preferred position alongside Lee Briers and, as he has so often been this season, was excellent.
It must be getting harder for Steve McNamara to leave him out of his World Cup equations.
While there may be players preferred to Ratchford in each position, his ability to slot so seamlessly into the back line means that the choice to leave the 24-year-old out of the squad is becoming harder to defend by the week.
INTERESTING NOTES
The victory means Warrington have won their last 10 games against Bradford, including the last six meetings between the two sides at Odsal.
Two wins in a week allowed Wolves to cut the Super League gap between them and Wigan from six to two points.
Chris Bridge needs three more tries to reach a career century of touchdowns.
Warrington Wolves have won their last five matches, with their last defeat being 26-16 at home to Hull FC on May 17.
MATCH FACTS
Super League Round 20
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Bradford Bulls...12 Warrington Wolves...26
Bulls: Jamie Foster; Elliot Kear, Adrian Purtell, Keith Lulia, Michael Platt; Danny Addy, Heath L’Estrange; Nick Scruton, Matt Diskin, Adam Sidlow, John Bateman, Matty Blythe, James Donaldson. Subs: Manese Manuokafoa, Chev Walker, Ben Evans, Alex Mellor.
Wolves: Brett Hodgson; Rhys Williams, Simon Grix, Ryan Atkins, Chris Riley; Lee Briers, Stefan Ratchford; Garreth Carvell, Michael Monaghan, Paul Wood, Trent Waterhouse, Ben Westwood, Ben Currie. Subs: Chris Bridge, Adrian Morley, Mike Cooper Tyrone McCarthy.
Scoring: Currie try, 22mins, 4-0; Briers try, 24mins, Hodgson goal, 10-0; Monaghan try, 33mins, Hodgson goal, 16-0; Waterhouse try, 36mins, 20-0; Atkins try, 52mins, Hodgson goal, 26-0; Walker try, 66mins, Foster goal, 26-6; Donaldson try, 80mins, Foster goal, 26-12.
Pens: Bulls 10 Wolves 7
Referee: Richard Silverwood
Attendance: 8,485
Top Man: Stefan Ratchford
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