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| 1998 Bradford Bulls season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super League III Rank | 5th | |||
| Play-off result | Elimination Play-off | |||
| Challenge Cup | 5th Round | |||
| 1998 record | Wins: 13; draws: 0; losses: 13 | |||
| Points scored | For: 591; against: 540 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| Chairman | Chris Caisley | |||
| Head Coach | Matthew Elliot | |||
| Captain | ||||
| Stadium | Odsal Stadium | |||
| Avg. attendance | 13,026 | |||
| High attendance | 19,188 vs.Leeds Rhinos | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Tevita Vaikona (13) | |||
| Goals | Steve McNamara (81) | |||
| Points | Steve McNamara (170) | |||
| ||||
This article details theBradford Bulls rugby league football club's 1998 season, the 3rd season of theSuper League era.
February 1998
The 1998 season started off with a 48–10 win overRochdale Hornets in theChallenge Cup 4th Round, it was in this game thatWigan Warriors legendShaun Edwards made his try scoring debut with the Bulls. However soon they were knocked out of the Cup for the 1st time before the final since theSuper League started. It wasCastleford Tigers who scored late in the game to beat Bradford 26–21.
April 1998
Bradford started off their league hopes with a 38–6 win against newly promotedHuddersfield Giants. However they were brought down to earth when they lost 26–6 to arch-rivalsLeeds Rhinos after a sublime display from fullbackIestyn Harris. Bradford were soon back winning points as they ground out a hard-fought 11–4 win againstSheffield Eagles. The Bulls managed to get their 1st back to back wins of the season as they struggled againstHull Sharks but just about scraped a 26–24 win.
May 1998
The Bulls won their next game 18–4 againstSt. Helens however the week afterHalifax Blue Sox beat Bradford 21–16 in a thrilling encounter. Bradford bounced back though by stuffingCastleford Tigers 52–10 and then dispatched ofLondon Broncos 17–14.
June 1998
June started off poor for the Bulls as they lost 28–10 toWarrington Wolves afterGraeme Bradley was sent off. Bradford also lost to eventual championsWigan Warriors 28–12. The Bulls bad run continued with a shock 11–10 loss toSalford City Reds withPaul Medley scoring Bradford's only try. Bradford got back to winning ways with a comprehensive 36–10 victory overHuddersfield Giants.
July 1998
Bradford got off to a great start in July as they beat arch-rivalsLeeds Rhinos 33–22 atHeadingley. The Bulls travelled toTynecastle Stadium to playLondon Broncos in an attempt to spreadrugby league intoScotland, the Bulls lost to London 22–8 with ex Bulls playerShaun Edwards pulling the strings for the Broncos.
August 1998
Sheffield Eagles added to the Bulls misery when they beat Bradford 38–18 to kick off August, however it wasn't long before the Bulls won again as they beatHull Sharks 38–18 withTevita Vaikona scoring 2 tries against his former side. Bradford were brought back to earth with a 33–25 defeat atSt. Helens, a lateTommy Martyn try and aSean Long drop goal won it for the Saints.Halifax Blue Sox continued their fine run of form by beating the Bulls 25–12 atThe Shay. The final game in August saw the Bulls beatCastleford Tigers 24–8 to get back to winning ways.
September 1998
The month didn't start well for Bradford as they received a 34–8 hammering byLondon Broncos. The Bulls responded to this defeat by beatingWarrington Wolves 36–8 atOdsal Stadium. The final two games saw contrasting results, the 1st saw the Bulls get hammered byWigan Warriors 38–4 and the 2nd saw them destroySalford City Reds 40–18 in the final league game of the year.
October 1998
The Bulls crashed out of the playoffs when they lost 46–24 toSt. Helens atKnowsley Road.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Wigan Warriors | 23 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 762 | 222 | +540 | 42 |
| 2 |  Leeds Rhinos | 23 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 662 | 369 | +293 | 38 |
| 3 |  Halifax Blue Sox | 23 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 658 | 390 | +268 | 36 |
| 4 |  St. Helens | 23 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 673 | 459 | +214 | 29 |
| 5 |  Bradford Bulls | 23 | 12 | 0 | 11 | 498 | 450 | +48 | 24 |
| 6 |  Castleford Tigers | 23 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 446 | 522 | −76 | 21 |
| 7 | London Broncos | 23 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 415 | 476 | −61 | 20 |
| 8 |  Sheffield Eagles | 23 | 8 | 2 | 13 | 495 | 541 | −46 | 18 |
| 9 |  Hull Sharks | 23 | 8 | 0 | 15 | 421 | 574 | −153 | 16 |
| 10 |  Warrington Wolves | 23 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 411 | 645 | −234 | 15 |
| 11 |  Salford City Reds | 23 | 6 | 1 | 16 | 319 | 575 | −256 | 13 |
| 12 |  Huddersfield Giants | 23 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 288 | 825 | −537 | 4 |
| Play-offs |
| LEGEND | |
|---|---|
| Win | |
| Draw | |
| Loss | |
1998 JJB Sports Super League
| LEGEND | |
|---|---|
| Win | |
| Draw | |
| Loss | |
| Date | Competition | Rnd | Vrs | H/A | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Att |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 February 1998 | Cup | 4th |  Rochdale Hornets | A | Spotland Stadium | W | 48–10 | Forshaw (2),Calland,Edwards,Jowitt,Lowes,Paul,Spruce,Vaikona | Lowes 3/5,McNamara 3/4 | 5,466 |
| 28 February 1998 | Cup | 5th | Castleford Tigers | A | The Jungle | L | 21–26 | Calland,Lowes,Peacock,Spruce | Lowes 1/2,McNamara 1/2,McNamara 1 DG | 10,283 |
| LEGEND | |
|---|---|
| Win | |
| Draw | |
| Loss | |
| Date | Competition | Rnd | Vrs | H/A | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Att |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 October 1998 | Play-offs | EPO | St. Helens | A | Knowsley Road | L | 24–46 | Donougher (2),Crouthers,Graham | McNamara 4/4 | 8,393 |
| No | Player | Position | Tries | Goals | DG | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robbie Paul | Fullback | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| 2 | Tevita Vaikona | Wing | 13 | 0 | 0 | 52 |
| 3 | Graeme Bradley | Centre | 11 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
| 4 | Abi Ekoku | Centre | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 5 | Jon Scales | Wing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 6 | Danny Peacock | Stand Off | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 8 | Neil Harmon | Prop | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Kevin Crouthers | Hooker | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | Nathan Graham | Fullback | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 11 | Jeremy Donougher | Second Row | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 12 | Paul Medley | Second Row | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 13 | Sonny Nickle | Loose forward | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Mike Forshaw | Loose forward | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| 15 | Paul Anderson | Prop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Warren Jowitt | Prop | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 17 | Nathan McAvoy | Wing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 19 | Harvey Howard | Prop | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 20 | Matt Calland | Centre | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| 22 | Brian McDermott | Prop | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 23 | Bernard Dwyer | Hooker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Paul Deacon | Scrum-half | 4 | 4 | 0 | 24 |
| 25 | James Lowes | Hooker | 9 | 4 | 0 | 44 |
| 26 | Steve McNamara | Loose forward | 1 | 81 | 4 | 170 |
| 27 | Tahi Reihana | Prop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Stuart Spruce | Fullback | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| 29 | Stuart Fielden | Prop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Andy Hodgson | Centre | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Michael Banks | Prop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Leon Pryce | Wing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Simon Knox | Loose forward | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 47 | Shaun Edwards | Scrum-half | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
