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Kurt Haggerty paid tribute to his senior players for playing busted as his Bradford Bulls side gave themselves a chance at getting off the bottom of the Super League table next week in the final round of the season. Bradford beat Castleford Tigers 32-22 to record a first home win since June 5th, a victory that came against next week’s opponents, York Knights. The Bulls know that if York lose to Catalans on Saturday, then victory over the Knights on Thursday will ensure they avoid the wooden spoon. That’s a goal that Kurt Haggerty has made no secret of, explaining earlier in the week that he does not want Bradford to have the ‘tag’ of finishing bottom and speaking about what the win means, he simply told Sky Sports: “It gives us a chance.” Asked about the round 27 game, he added: “One more to go, we’re looking forward to it and we’ll be ready whatever the result is for York at Catalans.” Whilst Castleford were way off the pace, Bradford put in a good showing, especially in the first half and that was led from a strong pack that was headed up by 26-year-old Ebon Scurr. RIP Sir Billy, under-the-radar challengers, Hull KR’s controversial call and more – Click here to watch this week’s episode of the Serious About Rugby League Show Bradford Bulls’ Ebon Scurr hailed after standout performance Scurr was still a part-time player in 2025, working as a roofer whilst also representing the club in the Championship, and Haggerty highlighted the forward’s transformation to make himself a Super League calibre player. “I thought Ebon in particular was very good tonight,” the Bulls coach said. “The kid has gone through a journey to get to play at this level and gone through a pretty tough and rigorous regime to get to the level he’s been at tonight, so first and foremost I’m really happy for Ebon, and it’s good to get the win.” Also impressive were fellow forward Joe Mellor and Ryan Sutton, both whom have been playing with knocks, though Haggerty explained that there was no way either man was set to let him down. He said: “I’m very lucky to coach people like Joe Mellor and Ryan Sutton. They come and tell me that they’re playing before I need to have those conversations with them. “I’m very lucky to coach a group of men who understand the situation and journey that we’ve had to go through this year, and to get to this round and play busted for the club and for myself, and it’s pretty admirable from them.” Fortunately, the Bulls boss was able to repay that to both Mellor and Sutton thanks to the large lead his side held, noting: “I think the most important thing for us at the back end of the game was that we could get Joe Mellor off and Ryan Sutton off. “I’d have liked to give Andy Ackers a bit of a rest but it was good to get some more young blood some more minutes in there and give some more senior blokes we’ll take a rest.” .@OfficialBullsRL close the gap at the bottom of the @Betfred #SuperLeague 💪 pic.twitter.com/PW16v5TpPQ — Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) September 3, 2026