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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Jamie Peacock

It's great to see Bradford vs Leeds back - but don't expect a Bulls upset

I've had a foot in both the Bradford and Leeds camps during my career, and it’s great to see the fixture back on the rugby league calendar on Saturday.

I know a lot of people involved with both clubs were hoping this tie would be drawn out, and it’s great to see the derby back in a game with some significance, rather than a testimonial or friendly.

Now there’s a quarter-final place in the Challenge Cup at stake, and anybody who remembers the halcyon days of Bradford-Leeds matches will know what big events they can be.

It’s Championship against Super League now, and I don’t think there will be a shock Bulls win today.

But if you look at Leeds’ form this season it can go from the sublime to the ridiculous - sometimes within a matter of minutes.

Peacock runs at the late Terry Newton and Sam Burgess for Leeds against Bradford (Getty Images)

Cory Aston desperate to make the most of long-awaited Super League chance 

If they have periods at that lower level then the Bulls can worry them, and their coach John Kear will absolutely love this - getting the underdog up for big games has been one of the fortes of his career.

I just think Leeds will have a bit too much for them - despite the departure of their coach David Furner earlier this week.

Kevin Sinfield and Gary Hetherington are paid to make big decisions at the club, and when they do so, it is with far more knowledge that outsiders have.

We can only speculate from the outside in.

John Kear has Bradford back on the up (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com/REX/Shutterstock)

Dave was doing some things well and some other things not so well - at times the team looked wonderful with the ball in hand, but they conceded too many soft tries.

The club has made a decision and one that not everyone agrees with, but they believe it is the right one.

There needs to be a bit of calmness now to give the players some consistency and allow them to play at their best.

Richard Agar is in charge in the interim and with some experienced players coming back from injury he should be able to steer the Rhinos in the right direction until they decide who is the right person to take the club forward again.

  • *** Betfred - Passionate About Super League ***
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