2004 Bradford Bulls season

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This article details the Bradford Bulls rugby league football club's 2004 season, the ninth season of the Super League era.

February 2004

Bradford started the 2004 season off by beating Penrith Panthers 22–4 in the World Club Challenge to become World Champions for the second time. The Bulls start to the regular season rounds could not have been better as Lesley Vainikolo set a Super League record with the most tries in a match scoring five in Bradford's 34–6 win against Wigan Warriors. The Bulls could not retain their Challenge Cup title as they were knocked out in Round 4 as St Helens R.F.C. beat them 30–10.

March 2004

Bradford continued their run of form with a comprehensive 40–6 win against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. The Bulls kept their league winning streak going with a hard fought 20–6 win against Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Giants.

April 2004

The Bulls started April by grinding out a 25–18 win against Salford City Reds. Bradford's first league loss of the season came in Round 5 against arch rivals Leeds Rhinos who came out 26–18 winners. The Bulls picked themselves up after this defeat and hammered St Helens R.F.C. 54–8 with Shontayne Hape scoring a hat-trick. Bradford lost for the second time this season as Hull F.C. beat them 26–18 with Shaun Briscoe scoring four tries for the Hull side. The Bulls finished the month with a 22–22 draw at Warrington Wolves.

May 2004

Bradford started May with a much needed 24–12 win against London Broncos. The Bulls then beat Castleford Tigers 44–18 with Stuart Reardon scoring four tries. Bradford kept their winning run on track with a 30–20 win against Widnes Vikings. The month finished badly for the Bulls as their winning streak was broken in a 35–30 loss to St Helens R.F.C.

June 2004

The start of June was a poor one for Bradford as they lost 26–12 to arch-rivals Leeds Rhinos. Bradford soon got back on track as they beat Salford City Reds 35–28 in a hard fought match. The Bulls also posted an impressive 40–12 win against Huddersfield Giants with Paul Deacon kicking them to victory with 10 goals. Bradford finished the month with a 38–30 win against Widnes Vikings.

July 2004

The Bulls started July well as they smashed Castleford Tigers 60–12 with Lesley Vainikolo stealing the spotlight with four tries, he then scored another two the following week in a 36–26 win against the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. The good start to the month came to an end as the Bulls lost 32–16 to Wigan Warriors. Bradford recovered from this defeat and beat London Broncos 44–16.

August 2004

Bradford's month got off to a bad start as they lost 25–14 to Hull F.C. keeping the Bulls fifth in the table. The Bulls got their season back on track with a hard fought 36–22 win against Warrington Wolves thanks to a Lesley Vainikolo hat-trick. Bradford backed this win up with an outstanding 38–12 win against Wigan Warriors with Iestyn Harris leading the way with two tries and a goal. The Bulls were brought crashing back to earth as league leaders and arch-rivals Leeds Rhinos beat them 40–12, the Bulls were down to 12 men for at least 20 minutes of the match as Leon Pryce received two sin-bins. Bradford finished the month strong as they beat Hull F.C. 26–12, Lesley Vainikolo scored his fourth hat-trick of the year to help the Bulls get the much needed win.

September 2004

The Bulls continued their charge to second in the league as they beat woeful London Broncos 60–18, Shontayne Hape scored a hat-trick, Logan Swann and Rob Parker also scored two tries each to help the Bulls get the win. Bradford continued their winning end to the season with a nail biting 28–27 win against Warrington Wolves where Paul Deacon's two late drop-goals secured the points for the Yorkshire side. The Bulls finished the regular season by thumping St Helens R.F.C. 64–24, both Stuart Reardon and Lesley Vainikolo grabbed hat-tricks whilst Hape scored two tries to help the Bradford team finish the 2004 season second in the league.

October 2004

Bradford qualified for the 2004 Grand Final by defeating arch rivals Leeds Rhinos in the Qualifying Semi-final. The Bulls came out as 26–12 winner thanks to tries from Robbie Paul, Lee Radford, Lesley Vainikolo and a double from Shontayne Hape. However Leeds soon got revenge as they defeated the Bulls 16–8 in the Grand Final.

• WCC: Logan Swann scored his 1st try for the Bulls.
• Round 1: Aaron Smith scored his 1st try for the Bulls.
• Round 1: Lesley Vainikolo scored his 1st five-try haul, 1st four-try haul and 3rd hat-trick for the Bulls.
• Round 2: Chris Bridge and Paul Johnson scored their 1st tries for the Bulls.
• Round 2: Tevita Vaikona scored his 100th try and reached 400 points for the Bulls.
• Round 6: Shontayne Hape scored his 1st hat-trick for the Bulls.
• Round 6: Michael Withers reached 400 points for the Bulls.
• Round 7: Lesley Vainikolo scored his 50th try and reached 200 points for the Bulls.
• Round 10: Stuart Reardon scored his 1st four-try haul and 1st hat-trick for the Bulls.
• Round 10: Paul Deacon reached 1,100 points for the Bulls.
• Round 11: Leon Pryce scored his 75th try and reached 300 points for the Bulls.
• Round 12: Karl Pratt scored his 1st hat-trick for the Bulls.
• Round 14: Chris Bridge kicked his 1st goal for the Bulls.
• Round 15: Shontayne Hape scored his 25th try and reached 100 points for the Bulls.
• Round 16: Andy Smith scored his 1st try for the Bulls.
• Round 17: Lesley Vainikolo scored his 2nd four-try haul and 4th hat-trick for the Bulls.
• Round 19: Paul Deacon kicked his 500th goal and reached 1,200 points for the Bulls.
• Round 20: Iestyn Harris kicked his 1st goal for the Bulls.
• Round 22: Lesley Vainikolo scored his 5th hat-trick for the Bulls.
• Round 23: Iestyn Harris scored his 1st try for the Bulls.
• Round 25: Lesley Vainikolo scored his 6th hat-trick for the Bulls.
• Round 26: Shontayne Hape scored his 2nd hat-trick for the Bulls.
• Round 28: Stuart Reardon scored his 2nd hat-trick for the Bulls.
• Round 28: Lesley Vainikolo scored his 7th hat-trick for the Bulls.
• Qualifying Semi-final: Lesley Vainikolo scored his 75th try and reached 300 points for the Bulls.
• Qualifying Semi-final: Paul Deacon reached 1,300 points for the Bulls.

Super League IX v t e
Pos.	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts	Qual.
1	Leeds Rhinos	28	24	2	2	1037	443	+594	50	Play-off semi-final
2	Bradford Bulls	28	20	1	7	918	565	+353	41
3	Hull	28	19	2	7	843	478	+365	40	Play-off elimination final
4	Wigan Warriors	28	17	4	7	736	558	+178	38
5	St. Helens	28	17	1	10	821	662	+159	35
6	Wakefield Trinity Wildcats	28	15	0	13	788	662	+126	30
7	Huddersfield Giants	28	12	0	16	518	757	−239	24
8	Warrington Wolves	28	10	1	17	700	715	−15	21
9	Salford City Reds	28	8	0	20	507	828	−321	16
10	London Broncos	28	7	1	20	561	968	−407	15
11	Widnes Vikings	28	7	0	21	466	850	−384	14
12	Castleford Tigers	28	6	0	22	515	924	−409	12	Relegated to National League 1

Date	Competition	Vrs	H/A	Venue	Result	Score	Tries	Goals	Att
13 February 2004	WCC	Penrith Panthers	N	McAlpine Stadium	W	22–4	Vainikolo, L.Pryce, Swann, Parker	Withers 3/5, Radford 0/1	18,962

2004 World Club Challenge Teams

Bradford Bulls	positions	Penrith Panthers
6. Michael Withers	Fullback	1. Rhys Wesser
2. Tevita Vaikona	Winger	2. Brett Howland
16. Paul Johnson	Centre	3. Luke Lewis
4. Shontayne Hape	Centre	4. Paul Whatuira
5. Lesley Vainikolo	Winger	5. Luke Rooney
3. Leon Pryce	Stand off	6. Preston Campbell
15. Karl Pratt	Scrum half	7. Craig Gower
29. Stuart Fielden	Prop	8. Joel Clinton
24. Aaron Smith	Hooker	9. Luke Priddis
10. Paul Anderson	Prop	10. Martin Lang
11. Lee Radford	2nd Row	11. Joe Galuvao
12. Jamie Peacock	2nd Row	12. Tony Puletua
13. Logan Swann	Loose forward	13. Trent Waterhouse
8. Joe Vagana	Interchange	14. Ben Ross
17. Stuart Reardon	Interchange	15. Colin Ward
19. Jamie Langley	Interchange	16. Shane Rodney
27. Rob Parker	Interchange	17. Luke Swain
Brian Noble	Coach	John Lang

2004 Tetley's Super League

Date	Competition	Rnd	Vrs	H/A	Venue	Result	Score	Tries	Goals	Att
20 February 2004	Super League IX	1	Wigan Warriors	H	Odsal Stadium	W	34–6	Vainikolo (5), Smith, Withers	Withers 3/7	17,267
7 March 2004	Super League IX	2	Wakefield Trinity Wildcats	A	Belle Vue	W	40–6	Bridge (2), Vaikona (2), Vainikolo (2), Johnson, Reardon	Deacon 4/8	6,472
21 March 2004	Super League IX	3	Huddersfield Giants	A	McAlpine Stadium	W	20–6	Johnson (2), Deacon	Deacon 4/4	8,039
2 April 2004	Super League IX	4	Salford City Reds	H	Odsal Stadium	W	25–18	Deacon, Johnson, L.Pryce, Vainikolo	Deacon 4/4, Withers 1 DG	11,790
8 April 2004	Super League IX	5	Leeds Rhinos	A	Headingley Stadium	L	18–26	Hape, Vaikona, Vainikolo	Deacon 3/3	21,225
12 April 2004	Super League IX	6	St. Helens	H	Odsal Stadium	W	54–8	Hape (3), Vaikona (2), Vainikolo (2), Withers (2), Langley, Radford	Deacon 1/5, Withers 3/4, Paul 1/2	15,623
23 April 2004	Super League IX	8	Hull F.C.	H	Odsal Stadium	L	18–26	Deacon, Hape	Deacon 5/5	12,684
27 April 2004	Super League IX	7	Warrington Wolves	A	Halliwell Jones Stadium	D	22–22	Withers (2), Smith, Vainikolo	Deacon 3/4	8,111
3 May 2004	Super League IX	9	London Broncos	A	Griffin Park	W	24–12	Reardon (2), Deacon, Langley, L.Pryce	Deacon 2/5	3,987
9 May 2004	Super League IX	10	Castleford Tigers	H	Odsal Stadium	W	44–18	Reardon (4), Langley (2), Vainikolo (2)	Deacon 6/8	12,877
23 May 2004	Super League IX	11	Widnes Vikings	A	Halton Stadium	W	30–20	L.Pryce (2), Hape, Johnson, Smith	Deacon 5/5	6,615
29 May 2004	Super League IX	12	St. Helens	A	Knowsley Road	L	30–35	Pratt (3), Anderson, Parker	Deacon 5/5	10,993
5 June 2004	Super League IX	13	Leeds Rhinos	H	Odsal Stadium	L	12–26	Reardon, Vainikolo	Deacon 2/2	23,375
13 June 2004	Super League IX	14	Salford City Reds	A	The Willows	W	35–28	Johnson (2), Vainikolo (2), Bridge, Hape	Bridge 4/4, Withers 1/2, Withers 1 DG	5,003
20 June 2004	Super League IX	15	Huddersfield Giants	H	Odsal Stadium	W	40–12	Hape (2), Fielden, Reardon, Swann	Deacon 10/10	11,069
27 June 2004	Super League IX	16	Widnes Vikings	H	Odsal Stadium	W	38–30	Paul (2), Pratt (2), Johnson, L.Pryce, Smith	Deacon 3/5, Bridge 2/2	11,137
4 July 2004	Super League IX	17	Castleford Tigers	A	The Jungle	W	60–12	Vainikolo (4), Hape (2), Deacon, Parker, Peacock, L.Pryce	Deacon 10/10	6,606
11 July 2004	Super League IX	18	Wakefield Trinity Wildcats	H	Odsal Stadium	W	36–26	Vainikolo (2), Deacon, Parker, Peacock, Reardon	Deacon 6/6	12,670
16 July 2004	Super League IX	19	Wigan Warriors	A	JJB Stadium	L	16–32	Hape, Peacock, Swann	Deacon 2/3	15,102
25 July 2004	Super League IX	20	London Broncos	H	Odsal Stadium	W	44–16	Vainikolo (2), Fielden, Langley, Paul, Reardon, Smith, Swann	Deacon 4/5, Harris 2/3	10,283
1 August 2004	Super League IX	21	Hull F.C.	A	KC Stadium	L	14–25	Hape, Paul	Deacon 3/3	14,124
8 August 2004	Super League IX	22	Warrington Wolves	H	Odsal Stadium	W	36–22	Vainikolo (3), Bridge, Hape, Reardon	Deacon 6/6	12,891
13 August 2004	Super League IX	23	Wigan Warriors	H	Odsal Stadium	W	38–12	Harris (2), Hape, Langley, Paul, L.Pryce, Vainikolo	Deacon 4/5, Harris 1/2	12,610
20 August 2004	Super League IX	24	Leeds Rhinos	A	Headingley Stadium	L	12–40	Harris, Swann	Deacon 2/2	21,225
30 August 2004	Super League IX	25	Hull F.C.	A	KC Stadium	W	26–12	Vainikolo (3), Harris, Langley	Deacon 3/5	13,593
5 September 2004	Super League IX	26	London Broncos	H	Odsal Stadium	W	60–18	Hape (3), Parker (2), Swann (2), Fielden, Vagana, Withers	Deacon 10/10	11,319
12 September 2004	Super League IX	27	Warrington Wolves	A	Halliwell Jones Stadium	W	28–27	Harris (2), Hape, Langley, Vainikolo	Deacon 3/5, Deacon 2 DG	10,008
19 September 2004	Super League IX	28	St. Helens	H	Odsal Stadium	W	64–24	Reardon (3), Vainikolo (3), Hape (2), Deacon, Peacock, Withers	Deacon 10/11	13,127

Date	Competition	Rnd	Vrs	H/A	Venue	Result	Score	Tries	Goals	Att
29 February 2004	Cup	4th	St. Helens	H	Odsal Stadium	L	10–30	Deacon, Radford	Deacon 1/2	12,215

Date	Competition	Rnd	Vrs	H/A	Venue	Result	Score	Tries	Goals	Att
2 October 2004	Play-offs	QSF	Leeds Rhinos	A	Headingley Stadium	W	26–12	Hape (2), Paul, Radford, Vainikolo	Deacon 3/5	21,225
16 October 2004	Play-offs	GF	Leeds Rhinos	N	Old Trafford	L	8–16	Hape, Vainikolo	Deacon 0/2	65,537

• Appearances and Points include (Super League, Challenge Cup and Play-offs) as of 2012.

• Bradford Bulls Website
• Bradford Bulls in T&A
• Bradford Bulls on Sky Sports
• Bradford on Super League Site
• Red, Black And Amber
• BBC Sport-Rugby League Archived 5 December 2012 at archive.today