Bradford Bulls boss Kurt Haggerty admits Castleford Tigers were deserved winners on Thursday night as they claimed a 40-28 win at Wheldon Road.
The Bulls were the form team heading into the contest and they took the lead in the game, too, as Esan Marsters touched down inside a couple of minutes. But, Castleford scored four first half tries and built on that tally early in the second to really seize control of the contest and in truth, put the game to bed with Bradford struggling to respond.
Ultimately then, the Bulls were handed their third defeat of the Super League season, with all three losses coming on the road, but Haggerty has vowed that his side will be better when they face off against Leeds Rhinos in Rivals Round next Friday.
“It’s the one game I’ve been really nervous going into,” Haggerty admitted to Sky Sports. “I think there’s no doubt we can attack but systematically we didn’t get it right tonight. Castleford were desperate and they showed in them moments they deserved the victory.
“It was unlike us. There was a period just before half-time and a period just after where we lost the game. We shouldn’t score 28 points in a game and lose.
“We have a mentality that we keep fighting and scrapping but ultimately at this level you can’t concede that many points no matter how good you are offensively.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a wake up call. We’re going through a journey and we’re learning every game. This is a big learning curve for the group, for me. We’ll look at it, we’ll move past it and we’ll be better for Leeds.”
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