Is it fairwell to Vainikolo?

Lesley Vainikolo's salute to the Odsal faithful after Bradford's fourth successive win in the engage Super League looked suspiciously like a fond farewell.

Bulls coach Steve McNamara insists the giant Kiwi winger, a Bulls icon after five years with the club, will play against arch rivals Leeds Rhinos in Cardiff's 'Millennium Magic' carnival at the weekend, if he overcomes a niggling knee injury.

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But with Brisbane Broncos yesterday releasing another New Zealand test winger, Tame Tupou, from his contract the word is that he is on his way to Bradford and Vainikolo to rugby union with Gloucester.

Bradford are in line to collect a big fee from Gloucester to compensate for the two years outstanding on Vainikolo's contract so this could well have been his last home game.

If so, he signed off with his 140th try in 143 appearances as Bradford made up for the opportunities they had wasted in the first half to take the game away from Warrington and draw level with Leeds at the top of the table.

Victory was achieved at a price, however, with scrum half Paul Deacon having to pull out of the action at the interval after suffering an elbow injury which makes him extremely doubtful for Cardiff.

"We have got a few injuries but we'll try to patch them up and get them out again next week," said McNamara. "I am just delighted that we got the win and feel out fitness and conditioning showed through in the end."

Warrington know all about injury problems because they have been ravaged by them in the first two months of the season.

They were able to welcome back four key players yesterday, Paul Johnson, Chris Bridge, Chris Leikvoll and Adrian Morley, who helped them to win the Grand Final two years ago during a brief spell on loan from Sydney Roosters.

Morley, who has always lived up to his reputation as an 'enforcer', was a hero then but a villain yesterday as far as the Bradford fans were concerned.

Desperate to get his own season going after suffering two serious facial injuries since he joined Warrington in the closed season, the legality of some of Morley's aggression was questionable and he was eventually put "on report" by referee Ashley Klein for a late hit on Iestyn Harris.

Morley's timing let him down a couple of times after that and contributed to a 17-7 penalty account in Bradford's favour. But Warringtoncoach Paul Cullen sprang to his team's defence.

"The officials obviously thought our discipline was not as good as Bradford's and seven consecutive penalties against us in the second half is the story of the game.

"Adrian Morley is finding his way back into Super League and he put in a very energetic and enthusiastic stint which nobody would expect to be faultless."

In the end, Bradford could point to the scoreboard which showed how they had improved from an 18-18 interval stalemate to double their points tally before Lee Briers scampered over for a late consolation.