THERE is fresh optimism in the Bradford air as Brian Noble prepares to lead the Bulls once more.
It may be two decades on from the peak of ‘Bullmania’ and the club remain a long, long way from those previous heights, but supporters have good reason to anticipate this season nonetheless.
While it remains to be seen if Noble was the best man to replace Eamon O’Carroll after the coach’s shock departure, Bradford certainly have a squad to build on last season’s third-placed finish.
They have added experience in James Donaldson and Waqa Blake, two top Championship operators in Joe Keyes and Matty Gee, and a pair of London’s leading lights, James Meadows and Emmanuel Waine.
Few if any Championship sides can match the quality and depth of talent that Bradford possess and perhaps this is the year they win their first trophy since 2006 – under Noble, of course.
Watch out for… The Championship’s biggest wrecking ball. Franklin Pele’s time in Super League may not have exactly gone to plan, released by Hull FC after eight appearances and considerable derision, but he tore up the second tier after joining Bradford. The Kiwi’s punchy spells off the bench are devastating at this level and he quickly became a firm favourite among the Odsal punters.
Squad: 1 Tom Holmes, 3 Waqa Blake, 4 Kieran Gill, 5 Guy Armitage, 6 James Meadows, 7 Joe Keyes, 8 Michael Lawrence, 9 Jordan Lilley, 10 Ebon Scurr, 11 Zac Fulton, 12 Matty Gee, 13 James Donaldson, 14 Mitch Souter, 15 Logan Bayliss, 16 Nathan Mason, 17 Franklin Pele, 18 Sam Hallas, 19 Tyran Ott, 20 Ronan Michael, 21 Emmanuel Waine, 22 Eliot Peposhi, 23 Jorge Taufua, 25 Bayley Liu, 30 Jamie Gill, 31 Sam Ackroyd, 32 Mason Corbett, 37 Jayden Okunbor, 38 Jacob Bateman.
Rugby League World predicts: 1st
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 505 (February 2025)
