Leeds Rhinos dominated Bradford Bulls with a 50-16 victory, highlighted by Ash Handley's hat-trick, to extend their lead in the Super League.
Ash Handley scored a hat-trick of tries and set up two more as Leeds Rhinos overwhelmed rivals Bradford Bulls with a 50-16 win at Hill Dickinson Stadium. This success allowed the Rhinos to extend their lead at the top of the Betfred Super League table to four points, after scoring nine tries against the Bulls. It was the first time since 2012 that these two rivals had faced each other at the Magic Weekend, and Bradford could not keep up with Leeds' intensity.
Leeds were patient at the start and, when the opportunity to score the first point presented itself, Brodie Croft seized it. Croft reacted quickly to capitalize on a beautiful grubber kick from Jarrod O'Connor, finishing the action. The Rhinos continued to knock on the door and, ten minutes later, Chris Hankinson touched for the sixth time in as many games. The win means the Rhinos are now unbeaten in their last six games. O'Connor, who played an excellent game, scored at dummy-half just before the half-hour mark, giving Leeds a comfortable lead.
However, Bradford, struggling to deal with the onslaught of top-of-the-table attackers, finally hit back with sublime individual play from Caleb Aekins, who beat two Rhinos defenders to score. Leeds responded through James McDonnell, and the Rhinos showed they were not slowing down, with Handley scoring two tries before and after the break. Despite a 30-point deficit, the Bulls did not give up without a fight, with Ethan Ryan scoring two tries in quick succession. Chris Atkin sent a looping pass to the sideline that went in, before Ryan combined with Aekins for an incredible score on the break. The second try was also Ryan's 100th with the Bulls.
But it wasn't long before Leeds got hot again, with Handley delivering a fantastic ground pass to Connor, for their seventh try of the game. Handley gave up an early chance to score his hat-trick to feed Maika Sivo on the left, who has now racked up 16 tries in his last 10 Super League appearances. However, it was Handley, voted man of the match, who scored the final try, crashing in for his third goal of the match late on.
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