Talented teenager Sam Burgess is picking up from where he left off in 2007 as he guided Bradford to a first Super League win of the season.
The utility forward, who was Super League's young player of the year and made a dream debut for Great Britain at the age of just 18, is showing every sign of being able to avoid the second-season syndrome.
He produced a man-of-the-match performance in front of England coach Tony Smith to help the Bulls to an impressive 38-12 win over Huddersfield at the Grattan Stadium, Odsal, and drew the praise of his assistant Steve McNamara, the Bradford head coach.
"He's a good kid who is improving all the time," said McNamara. "He's got his feet on the floor. He's just a pleasure to have around the place.
"I thought it was a super performance again from Sam but big Joe Vagana helped him out there. They complemented each other well."
McNamara also singled out former Widnes and Salford back row forward Simon Finnigan, who made a dream debut with a brace of first-half tries.
Finnigan, 26, who was drafted into the Bulls squad following their surprise opening defeat at Wakefield, scored with his first touch after being introduced as a substitute on 17 minutes and took Terry Newton's pass to score a second try before half-time and give his side an unassailable 24-6 lead.
"He got left out of the squad last week but he responded very well," said McNamara.
"It's always difficult for new players. They want to come in and make an impression. Simon has taken his opportunity with both hands."
James Evans, Paul Sykes, Glenn Morrison and Terry Newton also scored tries but it was their rock-solid defence which most impressed McNamara.
At one time the Bulls were forced to defend five successive sets of tackles as Huddersfield recovered from a sluggish start but worked heroically to keep their line intact.
"The side that won the Grand Final last year probably defended their own tryline better than any other side in the competition," said McNamara in reference to champions Leeds Rhinos.
"You certainly need some athleticism if you are going to do that and some of the personnel we have brought in this year are there to enable us to defend that area a bit better when we need it."
Huddersfield hit back in the second half to briefly make a game of it but remain point-less after the opening two rounds, rekindling memories of their awful start to last season when they lost their first seven matches before going on to reach the play-offs for the first time.
The Giants have conceded 68 points in their first two games but coach Jon Sharp detected a significant improvement on their 30-10 defeat by Leeds and is unfazed by comparisons with last year.
"You look at the quality of the opposition," he said. "We've come up against the best two sides in the competition. Leeds were outstanding and Bradford were pretty special.
"The scorelines are not something that we're happy with. We pride ourselves on defensively being one of the best in the competition.
"We've got to improve but, once we get the "D" up and running, we'll be fine.
"The process is important at this stage for us - the process and the improvement - and I did see some improvement. The guys are working really hard for each other."
:: Hull KR coach Justin Morgan praised his side for the "guts and determination" that saw them turn a 14-6 half-time deficit into a 24-20 win over Catalans Dragons.
Stanley Gene's try four minutes from time ensured Rovers won for the second successive season at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.
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