Bradford Bulls have confirmed the appointment of Gold Coast Titans assistant Rohan Smith as their new head coach, as first revealed by TotalRL earlier this week.
Smith joins the Bulls on a three-year deal after being allowed to leave his position at the NRL side to take up the post.
The 35-year-old is the son of former Bradford and Wakefield head coach Brian and the nephew of Warrington chief Tony Smith. He joins the Bulls after working in various roles at several NRL sides, including Penrith Panthers, Sydney Roosters and New Zealand Warriors.
He already has experience of coaching in England, having formerly taken up the role as assistant at London Broncos in 2015 before returning to Australia in 2007 to be the assistant of Brian at Newcastle Knights.
Beyond that, Smith has coached internationally having become that head coach of Tonga in 2009.
“I cannot wait to get over to England and I am really looking forward to the next chapter of my career working for the Bulls,” said Smith.
“I’ve had a long affinity with the Bulls since 1996 at the beginning of the Super League with my Dad and it was great to be a part of it watching on from the stands.
“I was fortunate enough to start coaching at a young age and my path has been a bit different to the path which most coaches take.
“I’ve been the apprentice at a series of NRL clubs, plus the time I spent in the UK with London Broncos and during that time, the Provident Stadium, Odsal was always an intimidating place to visit but also exciting at the same time.
“I have worked with some great coaches during my career; Trent Robinson, Matthew Elliott, Daniel Anderson, Jason Taylor, Rick Stone, and recently Neil Henry and Terry Matterson.
“This position I feel is something I have worked hard for and I’m ready to take it on.”
“We would like to thank Gold Coast’s CEO Graham Annesley and Head Coach Neil Henry for allowing Rohan to take up the position at the club,” said Bradford Bulls Managing Director Steve Ferres.
“This is a hugely exciting time for both the Bulls and Rohan. He is a young coach with an incredible amount of energy and desire to drive this club’s performance department and carve out his own legacy.
“Rohan joins us on the back of a raft of testimonials from some of the greatest rugby league minds in the game both from past and present NRL coaches. His CV is unparalleled with an in-depth knowledge of every aspect of the game.
“His personal network with world class coaches and players will leave him at the cutting edge of the sport’s advancements, and will also be useful in talent identification.
“We are delighted he has joined Bradford and we look forward to watching him develop the team and move us up another level.”