Leeds crush Bradford to stretch lead to four points

Betfred Super League Magic WKND

Leeds (30) 50

Tries: Croft, Hankinson, O'Connor, McDonnell, Handley 3, Connor, Sivo Goals: Connor 7

Bradford (4) 16

Tries: Aekins, Ryan 2 Goals: Hooley 2

Leeds Rhinos ran in nine tries against Bradford Bulls to make it 11 wins from 12 and extend their Super League lead to four points.

Ash Handley scored a hat-trick as he brought up 150 career tries and Brodie Croft, Chris Hankinson, Jarrod O'Connor, James McDonnell, Jake Connor and Maiko Sivo also went over for the Rhinos.

Bradford briefly threatened to make a game of it early in the second half when Ethan Ryan scored twice in two minutes to register 100 scores for the Bulls.

But this was Leeds' day at the Hill Dickinson Stadium as Brad Arthur's side brought up 100 Super League tries for the season to strengthen their chances of a fourth League Leaders Shield.

It is a sign of how good Leeds are that they looked ordinary before they scored the first try in the ninth minute when O'Connor played a deft kick through for Croft to collect and touch down.

Leeds used the same ploy to score their second try on 20 minutes when Connor kicked through for Hankinson to cross.

Rhinos, who lost Ryan Hall with a foot injury, went up through the gears and O'Connor went from try creator to try taker as he played a dummy before stretching out an arm to score in the 26th minute.

Bradford hit back five minutes later when Aekins shimmied his way over before normal service was resumed as Leeds scored their fourth try on 34 minutes. Croft sliced through the Bradford defence before passing to McDonnell to go over.

Handley showed great strength three minutes later to score his 150th career try – and he took his total to 151 three minutes into the second half when he crashed over from Kallum Watkins' reverse pass.

Bradford battled back and they scored their second try on 52 minutes when Chris Atkin found Ryan on the left and he ran in behind the posts for a score converted by Luke Hooley.

And two minutes later Ryan scored his 100th Bradford try when he ran 60 metres before going over in the left corner to reduce the arrears to 34-16.

That was fleeting resistance and Handley flicked the ball on to Connor, as he was tackled, for Leeds' seventh try on 61 minutes.

Handley then gave up the chance of a hat-trick when he teed up Super League's top try-scorer Sivo to go over for his 28th of the season in the left corner.

Handley was rewarded in the final minute when he touched down from Connor's kick to register his eighth hat-trick for Leeds.

Leeds: Miller; Hall, Newman, Handley (c), Sivo; Croft, Connor; Oledzki, O'Connor, Palasia, Hankinson, McDonnell, Jenkins.

Interchanges: Holroyd, Watkins, Smith, Levi, Cassell.

Bradford: Aekins; Wynne, Armitage, Blake, Ryan; Nikorima, Atkin; Sutton, Ackers, Doro, Ruan, Peposhi, Mellor (c).

Interchanges: Souter, Ormondroyd, Scurr, Hooley, Leake.

Referee: Tom Grant.