BRADFORD BULLS have announced that Joe Keyes has signed a two-year deal to join the club from Halifax Panthers when his current contract expires at the end of the season.
The 28-year-old is a familiar face to Bradford supporters, having previously plied his trade in the red, amber and black between 2016 and 2019.
The Ireland international also enjoyed a three-game loan spell in 2021 – and has made a total of 63 appearances for the Bulls, scoring 476 points.
The half-back has spoken of his intention to repay Eamon O’Carroll’s faith in him – having ‘grown as a person and as a player’ in recent years.
“It is exciting, I had a good chat with Eamon and I’m excited to be coming back and seeing everyone again and see some new faces too. It will be good to get to know them and it is exciting times,” said Keyes.
“I’m very appreciative of the faith Eamon has shown in me, it is nice to be wanted. I’ve grown a lot as a person and as a player since I was last at the club so hopefully I can repay the faith he’s shown in me.
“Everything at the club looks largely positive from what i’ve seen, obviously I haven’t been looking into things too much but you can see the positive impact from the bits I have.
“It’s something that looks like it’s an exciting thing to be a part of and from speaking to Eamon it’s definitely something I want to be a part of.”
Bradford boss Eamon O’Carroll has spoken of his delight at capturing Keyes, who he believes will play a big part in the club’s progression in the years to come.
“I am really pleased, I have been really impressed with Joe, he’s playing really well at the minute and he obviously has an affiliation with the club,” O’Carroll said.
“When I sat down and spoke to him and spoke about the vision of the club, where we see ourselves going and how we get there, he will play a big part. It’s an exciting time for him to be joining the club and he will certainly add quality.
“He is a exciting half, who’s been one of the best halves in the competition for a few years and having that familiarity with the club will help.
“I’m really impressed with the element of calmness in his play, which we need, he has real good leadership qualities and is very capable. He will be a great addition for us.
“It’s no secret we are thirteen games in on top of a number of cup games and we’ve only had two games with our starting 1,6,7,9 so it’s an area we lacked so it was important we brought in some quality.”
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