Andrew Chalmers: What a difference eight minutes can make

In all my years involved in rugby league I haven’t ever seen a finish like last week against Featherstone Rovers. The team’s tenacity and persistence were royally rewarded and I make tribute to the coolness under pressure of Elliot Minchella, Ethan Ryan and Jordan Lilley, in particular, while commending all for their heroic last eight minutes. Everyone was focused and playing like their lives depended on it.

Plenty of people have compared it to the miraculous Million Pound game against Salford and Hull Kingston Rovers a couple of years ago but I think I’d go so far as to say our finale was even more amazing.

I was the other director along with Marwan Koukash in Salford Red Devils at the time of the million pound game, and I’m starting to think maybe dramatic Houdini type escapes are a hall mark of my involvement with rugby clubs (I’m not sure whether to pray for that or hope it’s not true).

In every way Bradford Bulls' comeback was a stressful challenge to the old ticker, with two of the three conversions being as close to the touchline as it was possible to be.

Even after this we nearly conceded drop goals that would have seen us eliminated and for Jordan Lilley to have the presence of mind to drop our goal on the hooter at the end of the first half of extra time showed great awareness.

While celebrating what was undoubtedly a miraculous win I did feel for Featherstone boss Mark Campbell, who must have already been dreaming about the next round.

Losing in sport is painful enough but sometimes the manner of a defeat can rub salt into an open wound. I am sure that must be the case for everyone involved with the Rovers.

It is probably fair to say that Featherstone deserved to win and while there was much euphoria about the end result, it should not mask the fact that, particularly in the second half, there were aspects of our performance that need attention. But winners are grinners, as they say, and we duly went into the hat on Monday evening.

And if all that excitement wasn’t enough the Bulls were rewarded with a plum home tie against Leeds Rhinos, a club whose rivalry against the Bulls in the past has stretched around the world.

When John Kear joked he’d fancy Leeds at home, who could have predicted that a few hours later destiny would have thrown up such a fixture. Feels like fate.

This fixture will be talked about for the next four weeks before it’s actually played with reminisces of past cup finals and some of the greatest battles of recent years. While neither of us are currently at the top of Super League, it represents what I’m told is a gargantuan clash between two of the sport’s heavyweights.

You can forget about what divisions the teams are in. Don’t be fooled by Leeds’ lonely position at the bottom of Super League, they will still be huge favourites and it will be a phenomenal test for both teams.

As I say the back stories and narratives will be discussed over the forthcoming days and the fixture won’t need any hype… it sells itself.

The BBC have recognised this mouth-watering clash and will be gracing Odsal with their first presence for many years and we will do all we can to make the grand old ground look as good as possible and as full as possible for the TV pictures that will be broadcast to millions around the world.

Between now and then we have a number of significant fixtures to navigate starting on Good Friday against Halifax, another traditional rival for our club.

As we have said previously, the next three or four games will have a significant bearing on the rest of the season and we will be working overtime to ensure there will still be smiles on all our faces at the end of it.

Halifax is followed quickly by our Easter Monday clash with Barrow Raiders, who will undoubtedly come willing to risk everything to snatch two points in the Easter Monday battle. None of these games will be easy, players will be feeling the pressure just like coaches and owners!

I’d like to make a quick observation about some of the players leaving the Bulls over the past few days. As we approach halfway into the season it was an appropriate time to reflect upon our performances as a group and where our strengths and weaknesses were.

This goes on in all professional sports clubs all the time as players slip in and out of form and injuries take hold. It is entirely appropriate this far into the season for the coaching team and I to have crystallised our thinking as to the best team we can put out on the field and it is therefore also appropriate for players who may not be featuring that often to be allowed opportunities to progress their careers elsewhere.

Sport is all about opinions and judgements and we all have them, whatever positions we hold. At the end of the day the club must do what they believe is in the best interest of the club and that is what has happened with the additions and departures and I sincerely wish all the players who have left every success in their own futures.

An exciting weekend of footie awaits with a double Easter helping on offer. Get behind your team as we double down for the Good Friday clash at the Shay, Halifax, with kick-off at 3pm, followed by our Easter Monday showdown against Barrow Raiders at Odsal Stadium, also starting at 3pm.

Tickets are available in the club shop or online at www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/tickets #COYB #BullsNation