Kurt Haggerty has revealed that Bradford Bulls star Waqa Blake apologised to him post-match after his performance in defeat to Wigan Warriors.
Blake was one of five returning players to Haggerty’s side, but the Fijian porobably shouldn’t have played, and had they had sufficient bodies to cover him, he would have been rested for at least until round 24.
However, as is a testament to his character, the boss revealed that Blake “played on one leg and with a sore back,” but due to injuries to the likes of Connor Wynne and Esan Marsters, they didn’t have enough quality available to replace him.
“If Waqa hadn’t have played tonight, we’d have been in a lot of trouble team-wise. I won’t be overly critical of Waqa’s performance, he’s got some things wrong systematically, which he usually doesn’t.
“He’s put his hand up to play in very adverse times, which is a reflection of the man and what he’s done for us this year. He’s apologised to me after the game for his performance, which he didn’t need to do. For him, just putting a shirt on tonight was enough.
Riley Dean, who is a half-back by trade but has played centre, was named at 18th man, with Haggerty opting to use Dan Russell in the three-quarters. He explained that was down to “balance and size”, with Wigan being a big team with some real star quality on the edges.
Injuries continue for Bradford Bulls as boss reveals latest
As well as Blake not being 100%, back rower Phoenix Steinwede failed his HIA, meaning that he will be unavailable for next week’s game against Leigh Leopards.
Haggerty also confirmed that there were injuries to Ryan Sutton and Luke Hooley, with Sutton potentially dislocating his thumb and Luke Hooley taking a “pretty nasty twist on his knee.” Joe Mellor was another who “probably shouldn’t have played,” having suffered a quad problem.
