2001 Bradford Bulls season

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2001 Bradford Bulls season
Super League VI Rank1st
Play-off resultWinners
Challenge CupRunners Up
2001 recordWins: 28; draws: 1; losses: 6
Points scoredFor: 1386; against: 537
Team information
ChairmanChris Caisley
Head CoachBrian Noble
Captain
StadiumValley Parade
Avg. attendance12,086
High attendance16,572 vs. St. Helens
Top scorers
TriesMichael Withers (31)
GoalsHenry Paul (208)
PointsHenry Paul (457)
← 2000 List of seasons 2002 →

This article details the Bradford Bulls rugby league football club's 2001 season, the 6th season of the Super League era.

Season review

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February 2001

The Bulls started their defence of the Challenge Cup with a 54–10 win over Championship side Widnes Vikings, Michael Withers was the key man as he crossed for a hat-trick. Bradford backed up this great start with a dominating performance in the 5th Round of the Challenge Cup as they cruised past Halifax Blue Sox 68–18.

March 2001

Bradford begun their Super League campaign by beating champions St Helens R.F.C. 31–24, new signing Shane Rigon scored a hat-trick which helped the Bulls get off to a winning start. The Bulls continued their Challenge Cup defence with a 38–0 win over Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. Bradford kept their winning streak intact as they hammered Salford City Reds 40–6 and then backed this up with a 30–14 win away at Huddersfield Giants.

April 2001

The Bulls continued their good start to the season with a hard fought 24–6 victory over London Broncos however the next week they were surprised as Wakefield Trinity Wildcats beat Bradford 16–12 to end the Bulls winning streak. Bradford soon got back to winning ways with a great performance by beating Wigan Warriors 35–24, this victory was short lived however as the Bulls drew 24–24 to Hull FC. The Bulls were not able to defend their Challenge Cup title as they fell 13–6 to St Helens R.F.C. in a match which was played under terrible weather as rain swept Twickenham Stadium.

May 2001

Bradford put the Challenge Cup defeat behind them as they hammered Warrington Wolves 56–24 at Valley Parade. They backed this up with a hard fought 24–22 win against Castleford Tigers. Bradford continued their winning streak with an outstanding 33–14 win over arch rivals Leeds Rhinos at Headingley Stadium. The Bulls demolished Halifax Blue Sox at home with an emphatic 64–12 win, Leon Pryce was the star of the match scoring a hat-trick whilst Henry Paul kicked 10 goals. Bradford finished May with a 42–10 victory over Salford City Reds.

June 2001

Bradford started June with a 38–26 loss at the hands of St Helens R.F.C. They soon bounced back though with an outstanding 78–18 win against Huddersfield Giants. The Bulls backed up this fine form with a 42–0 win against London Broncos and then recorded another big win as they beat Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 62–10. Bradford finished the month with a 44–30 loss to a fired up Wigan Warriors side.

July 2001

The Bulls started July with a bang as the outclassed Hull F.C. and beat them 40–0. Bradford posted yet another big score as they took apart Castleford Tigers with a 44–4 victory. The Bulls continued their good form as they smashed rivals Leeds Rhinos 44–22 at Valley Parade. Bradford finished July with a 52–28 win against Halifax Blue Sox.

August 2001

The month started with a disappointing 18–14 loss to Warrington Wolves. They soon bounced back and Leeds Rhinos were on the wrong end of a 34–6 scoreline, in this match Henry Paul became the joint top scorer for the Bulls in the Super League era as he registered 860 points (joint with Steve McNamara). Henry Paul took over Steve McNamara as highest point scorer for the Bulls in the Super League as he kicked 8 goals in the impressive 27–14 win against St Helens R.F.C. A Michael Withers hat-trick helped the Bulls to a 56–30 victory over the Castleford Tigers. The Bulls ended the month with an unfortunate 16–10 loss to Wigan Warriors.

September 2001

Bradford started September with a bang as Graham Mackay and Michael Withers both scored a hat-trick as the Bulls beat Warrington Wolves 84–12. Bradford finished the regular season with a 62–18 win over rivals Leeds Rhinos which meant that the Bulls ended the season on top of the table by points difference. At the end of the month Bradford faced Wigan Warriors in the Qualifying Semi-final, the Bulls won 24–18 thanks to the Paul brother dominating with ball and boot. Robbie Paul scored 2 tries while brother Henry Paul kicked 8 goals.

October 2001

Bradford's opponents for the Grand Final were Wigan Warriors. The Bulls asserted their dominance early on as they raced into a 22–0 lead in the first half. Michael Withers scored a hat-trick and Stuart Fielden, James Lowes and Graham Mackay (in his last game) also scored for the Bulls. Henry Paul slotted a drop goal over to ensure that the Bulls became Super League champions for a 2nd time.

2001 milestones

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Table

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Pos Team
 Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Bradford Bulls (L, C) 28 22 1 5 1120 474 +646 45 Semi Final
2 Wigan Warriors 28 22 1 5 989 494 +495 45 Qualifying play-off
3 Hull F.C. 28 20 2 6 772 630 +142 42
4 St Helens 28 17 2 9 924 732 +192 36 Elimination play-off
5 Leeds Rhinos 28 16 1 11 774 721 +53 33
6 London Broncos 28 13 1 14 644 603 +41 27
7 Warrington Wolves 28 11 2 15 646 860 −214 24
8 Castleford Tigers 28 10 1 17 581 777 −196 21
9 Halifax Blue Sox 28 9 0 19 630 819 −189 18
10 Salford City Reds 28 8 0 20 587 956 −369 16
11 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 28 8 0 20 529 817 −288 14[a]
12 Huddersfield Giants (R) 28 6 1 21 613 926 −313 13 Relegation to Northern Ford Premiership
Source: Rugby League Project
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(C) Champions; (L) League Leaders; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Wakefield deducted 2 points for salary cap breaches.[1]

2001 fixtures and results

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LEGEND
  Win
  Draw
  Loss

2001 Tetley's Super League

Date Competition Rnd Vrs H/A Venue Result Score Tries Goals Att
4 March 2001 Super League VI 1 St. Helens H Valley Parade W 31–24 Rigon (3), H.Paul, Spruce H.Paul 5/5, H.Paul 1 DG 16,572
16 March 2001 Super League VI 2 Salford City Reds A The Willows W 40–6 Peacock (2), Anderson, Lowes, Rigon, Spruce, Withers H.Paul 6/7 4,355
25 March 2001 Super League VI 3 Huddersfield Giants A McAlpine Stadium W 30–14 Deacon, Gartner, R.Paul, Pryce, Vaikona Deacon 4/4, H.Paul 1/1 6,448
8 April 2001 Super League VI 4 London Broncos H Valley Parade W 24–6 Anderson, Lowes, Pryce, Rigon H.Paul 4/4 10,804
12 April 2001 Super League VI 5 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats A Belle Vue L 12–16 R.Paul, Pryce Deacon 2/2 4,721
16 April 2001 Super League VI 6 Wigan Warriors H Valley Parade W 35–24 Gartner, R.Paul, Pryce, Rigon, Vaikona H.Paul 7/7, H.Paul 1 DG 16,247
21 April 2001 Super League VI 7 Hull F.C. A The Boulevard D 24–24 Gartner (2), Forshaw H.Paul 6/6 7,518
2 May 2001 Super League VI 8 Warrington Wolves H Valley Parade W 56–24 Vaikona (3), Gilmour, Mackay, Naylor, R.Paul, Pryce, Withers H.Paul 8/8, Deacon 2/2 9,663
5 May 2001 Super League VI 9 Castleford Tigers A The Jungle W 24–22 Lowes, H.Paul, R.Paul H.Paul 6/6 8,528
11 May 2001 Super League VI 10 Leeds Rhinos A Headingley Stadium W 33–14 Withers (2), Anderson, Forshaw, Vaikona H.Paul 6/6, H.Paul 1 DG 18,242
18 May 2001 Super League VI 11 Halifax Blue Sox H Valley Parade W 64–12 Pryce (3), Forshaw (2), Fielden, Gartner, Gilmour, Naylor, R.Paul, Vaikona H.Paul 10/11 11,691
27 May 2001 Super League VI 12 Salford City Reds H Valley Parade W 42–10 Gilmour (3), Anderson, Pryce, Radford, Rigon, Vaikona H.Paul 5/8 10,907
2 June 2001 Super League VI 13 St. Helens A Knowsley Road L 26–38 R.Paul (2), Gilmour, Peacock, Vaikona H.Paul 3/5 10,428
10 June 2001 Super League VI 14 Huddersfield Giants H Valley Parade W 78–18 Mackay (3), Rigon (2), Vaikona (2), Gartner, McAvoy, H.Paul, Peacock, Pryce, Vagana, Withers H.Paul 11/14 10,886
16 June 2001 Super League VI 15 London Broncos A Welford Road W 42–0 Deacon, Fielden, Gartner, Gilmour, Peacock, Rigon, Vaikona, Withers H.Paul 5/8 5,259
24 June 2001 Super League VI 16 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats H Valley Parade W 62–10 Anderson, Gartner, McAvoy, McDermott, H.Paul, R.Paul, Rigon, Vagana, Vaikona, Withers H.Paul 8/8, Deacon 3/3 11,298
29 June 2001 Super League VI 17 Wigan Warriors A JJB Stadium L 30–44 Withers (2), Anderson, McDermott, Vaikona H.Paul 5/5 14,886
6 July 2001 Super League VI 18 Hull F.C. H Valley Parade W 40–0 H.Paul (2), R.Paul (2), Deacon, Mackay, Withers H.Paul 6/7 12,807
15 July 2001 Super League VI 19 Castleford Tigers H Valley Parade W 44–4 Lowes (2), Naylor (2), Deacon, Pryce, Withers Deacon 8/8 9,287
22 July 2001 Super League VI 20 Leeds Rhinos H Valley Parade W 44–22 Pryce (2), Vaikona (2), Gartner, McAvoy, Peacock H.Paul 7/7, Deacon 1/1 15,106
29 July 2001 Super League VI 21 Halifax Blue Sox A The Shay W 52–28 Vaikona (3), Mackay (2), Anderson, Gartner, R.Paul, Pryce H.Paul 8/9 5,982
4 August 2001 Super League VI 22 Warrington Wolves A Wilderspool L 14–18 R.Paul, Radford H.Paul 3/3 4,011
11 August 2001 Super League VI 23 Leeds Rhinos A Headingley Stadium W 34–6 Naylor, H.Paul, R.Paul, Vaikona, Withers H.Paul 7/7 13,712
17 August 2001 Super League VI 24 St. Helens H Valley Parade W 27–14 Mackay, Withers H.Paul 8/8, Deacon 3 DG 13,805
26 August 2001 Super League VI 25 Castleford Tigers H Valley Parade W 56–30 Withers (3), Deacon, Gartner, Lowes, McAvoy, R.Paul, Vaikona H.Paul 9/9, Deacon 1/1 10,469
31 August 2001 Super League VI 26 Wigan Warriors A JJB Stadium L 10–16 Lowes H.Paul 2/2, Deacon 1 DG, Lowes 1 DG 15,052
9 September 2001 Super League VI 27 Warrington Wolves A Wilderspool W 84–12 Mackay (3), Withers (3), Naylor (2), Pryce (2), H.Paul, R.Paul, Peacock, Rigon H.Paul 10/10, Deacon 4/4 8,393
15 September 2001 Super League VI 28 Leeds Rhinos H Valley Parade W 62–18 Naylor (2), R.Paul (2), Withers (2), Deacon, Forshaw, Gartner, Lowes, Vaikona H.Paul 9/11 12,863

Challenge Cup

[edit]
LEGEND
  Win
  Draw
  Loss
Date Competition Rnd Vrs H/A Venue Result Score Tries Goals Att
11 February 2001 Cup 4th Widnes Vikings H Valley Parade W 54–10 Withers (3), Naylor (2), Anderson, Lowes, McDermott, Spruce, Vaikona H.Paul 7/10 7,760
25 February 2001 Cup 5th Halifax Blue Sox A The Shay W 68–18 Naylor (2), Vaikona (2), Forshaw, Gartner, Gilmour, Lowes, R.Paul, Spruce, Withers H.Paul 9/9, Deacon 3/3 6,129
11 March 2001 Cup QF Wakefield Trinity Wildcats A Belle Vue W 38–0 Lowes (2), Withers (2), Gartner, H.Paul, Spruce H.Paul 4/5, Deacon 1/2 5,280
1 April 2001 Cup SF Warrington Wolves N McAlpine Stadium W 39–22 R.Paul (2), Naylor, Peacock, Spruce, Withers H.Paul 7/7, H.Paul 1 DG 13,856
28 April 2001 Cup Final St. Helens N Twickenham Stadium L 6–13 – H.Paul 3/3 68,250

Playoffs

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LEGEND
  Win
  Draw
  Loss
Date Competition Rnd Vrs H/A Venue Result Score Tries Goals Att
30 September 2001 Play-offs QSF Wigan Warriors H Valley Parade W 24–18 R.Paul (2) H.Paul 8/8 13,216
13 October 2001 Play-offs GF Wigan Warriors N Old Trafford W 37–6 Withers (3), Fielden, Lowes, Mackay H.Paul 5/5, Mackay 1/1, H.Paul 1 DG 60,164

2001 squad statistics

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Further information: Bradford Bulls
  • Appearances and Points include (Super League, Challenge Cup and Play-offs) as of 2012.
No Player Position Tries Goals DG Points
1 Robbie Paul Fullback 23 0 0 92
2 Tevita Vaikona Wing 25 0 0 100
3 Leon Pryce Centre 16 0 0 64
4 Nathan McAvoy Centre 4 0 0 16
5 Michael Withers Fullback 31 0 0 124
6 Henry Paul Stand Off 9 208 5 457
7 Paul Deacon Scrum-half 6 29 4 86
8 Joe Vagana Prop 2 0 0 8
9 James Lowes Hooker 13 0 1 53
10 Paul Anderson Prop 8 0 0 32
11 Daniel Gartner Second Row 14 0 0 56
12 Mike Forshaw Loose forward 6 0 0 24
14 Lee Gilmour Second Row 8 0 0 32
15 Shane Rigon Centre 12 0 0 48
16 Alex Wilkinson Wing 0 0 0 0
18 Lee Radford Prop 2 0 0 8
19 Jamie Peacock Second Row 8 0 0 32
20 Scott Naylor Centre 14 0 0 56
22 Brian McDermott Prop 3 0 0 12
23 Graham Mackay Wing 12 1 0 50
26 Paul Sykes Centre 0 0 0 0
27 Rob Parker Prop 0 0 0 0
28 Stuart Spruce Fullback 6 0 0 24
29 Stuart Fielden Prop 3 0 0 12

References

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  1. ^ "Champions lose points". BBC Sport. 29 May 2003. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
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