Eamon O'Carroll proud of Bradford Bulls after Wakefield loss

In front of a 5,340-strong Odsal crowd, the hosts put on a fine first-half display and went into the break 8-6 up but couldn't replicate the same level of performance after the interval with the sun beating down in West Yorkshire.

Wakefield, a full-time outfit, compared to Bulls’ part-time squad, were able to flex their muscles to great effect and they ran riot after the 40th minute to come away with a 40-14 victory.

In doing so, they booked their first trip to Wembley Stadium since 1979.

Speaking after the contest, O’Carroll said: “Obviously, we’re very disappointed and it's a tough one to take, even more so with the amount of effort that the group put in today.

“I think we were fantastic for large parts of the game, and I think the scoreboard doesn't reflect the amount of effort we put into the contest.”

Discussing the biggest differences between the first and second-half performances, O’Carroll said: “I think that fitness definitely played a part in it; you can tell that they're (Wakefield) a full-time outfit.

“We always knew that we were going to have to play for the full 80 minutes, and I don't think we helped ourselves at points.

“We gave away some cheap maul and went away from what we were doing so well to restrict them. But I have to give credit to Wakefield because they were great in the second half.”

He added: “I think what hurts the most is that we put ourselves in a wonderful position to go and get the game done.

“It’s going to be a tough one to watch back, but what I can say is that I’m extremely proud of all the players for the amount of effort they put in today, even when the game and scoreline seemed to get away from us.

“The players never gave up and didn't throw the towel in, which I'm so happy about.”

Jordan Lilley looks crestfallen on the Odsal turf after his side's semi-final defeat on Sunday afternoon (Image: Tom Pearson)

O’Carroll went on to reaffirm his belief that this current crop of Bradford players will be able to push on to great things.

He said: “We’re really lucky that we’ve got a good group with some strong leaders, so we are aware that one game doesn’t define our season.

“We’ve still got a lot of things to play for, so I’ll make sure that I’m driving that belief within the group.

“There’s no shame in losing to this Wakefield team, who I believe have got a stronger team now than they did last year in the Super League.”

He added: “Particularly in the first half, we were magnificent, and I’ve seen more than enough, not just in this game, but in a number of games this season to tell me that we’ll be in a very good place if we continue to play and progress in the way that we are doing.”