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Warrington Wolves remain fourth in Super League after a convincing 42-4 victory over Bradford Bulls. The home side actually scored first, as Ethan Ryan touched down after a juggle in the left corner. After a slow start in terms of points scored, Warrington would eventually take the lead, and they were ruthless in their defence. Boss Sam Burgess had a successful trip to where it all began, as he returned to Odsal, where he started out as an 18-year-old Super League forward before he set foot on the NRL. Bradford stay second-bottom of Super League, two points above Huddersfield, but with the Giants now on a three-match win streak, some significant improvement is needed for Kurt Haggerty’s side to avoid the wooden spoon. Wire crossed through Matty Ashton, Albert Hopoate and Toby King in the opening 40, before Joe Philbin, Jordy Crowther, Ewan Irwin and a second for Ashton rounded out the try-scoring action. The Bulls very nearly had a consolation try through Connor Wynne at the death, but an awkward bounce meant that ball ran dead before he could tap it back in play. Bradford Bulls v Warrington Wolves talking points Game-changing no try call: Having found themselves 18-4 down at half-time, Bradford thought they had reduced the deficit shortly after the game resumed, as young prop Jamie Gill looked to add the second Super League try of his career. Ryan Sutton broke the line, before offloading to his forward teammate, but an infringement in the build-up saw Chris Atkin pull back Danny Walker, preventing him from making the tackle on Sutton. It’s highly unlikely Walker would have got there if not for the pull-back, but it was an infringement nonetheless. To make matters worse, from that needless penalty conceded Wire went down the other end and scored through Philbin, so in the space of a minute, Bradford went from being eight points down to 20 down, and it was that shift that really saw Warrington take full control. Early territory battle pays off: It took Warrington over 20 minutes to get their first try, but that came as a result of the side winning the field position early on, with some sublime kicking constantly forcing Bradford to start their sets on their own line. It was a meticulous display from Ewan Irwin and Leon Hayes, who were on target with the boot the majority of the time, and it was that pinpoint accuracy that made it so hard for the Bulls, especially in the first half. That sapped the energy out of what was already an under-strength Bulls, and from that it allowed Ashton, Hopoate and King to all cross before the first-half hooter. Persistence with youngsters works wonders: Warrington have committed to playing Hayes and Irwin over the experienced Marc Sneyd for most of this season, and their commitment to the young pair paid off this afternoon. The duo put on a masterclass, not only with their in-play kicking as mentioned above, but their eye for attack in good-ball, allowing them to produce a lovely brand of rugby with some entertaining tries. Irwin’s deceptive switch of the play allowed Hayes to send King over for his score, whilst it was Irwin again who’s short ball saw Hopoate crash over. In the second half, Irwin turned from assister to try scorer, as a sublime solo effort saw him glide through the defence. In addition, he went seven from seven with the boot, in what was another commanding display from such a young playmaker. Signing of the Super League season: There are many players who could be argued to be the signing of the season, but one man who firmly deserves to be in contention is Joe Mellor. Super League’s top tackler pre-round 22, the former Salford man has joined the Bulls and brought heaps of experience, and it’s obvious to see why Kurt Haggerty wanted him as his skipper. He found himself without a contract after his exit from the Red Devils in November, and he was quickly snapped up by his former assistant coach, and their partnership has been immense so far.