York Knights end debut Super League season with win over Bradford

York Knights closed out their first Super League season with a commanding 35-16 victory over bottom-placed Bradford Bulls. The home side scored six tries through Galeano, Jones-Bishop, Mata'afa, Dee, Va'a and Nofoaluma, with Hunter adding five goals and Vaughan contributing a drop goal.

The match was a milestone for winger Ben Jones-Bishop, who made his 400th career appearance. The win secured York a 10th-place finish, capping what the club regards as a positive debut season in the top flight.

Bradford Bulls, back in Super League for the first time since 2014, ended the season with the wooden spoon. The club failed to follow up its win over Castleford the previous Thursday, and hadn't managed back-to-back victories since 1 March. Overall, Bradford won just seven of their 27 league matches this season.

An emotional farewell for Vaughan

The game marked the final professional appearance of forward Paul Vaughan, who is retiring after a 13-year career to spend more time with his daughters back in Australia. Speaking to BBC Radio York, he described feeling privileged and content to finish his career on his own terms, and revealed he had planned his drop goal with teammate Paul McShane beforehand despite never having scored one before.

Bradford head coach Kurt Haggerty said it had been difficult addressing a squad containing several players who won't be at the club next season. He acknowledged the campaign had been hampered by injuries but declined to make excuses, saying the team simply lacked the quality needed to win games.