KURT HAGGERTY has backed new Bradford Bulls signings Ryan Sutton to put his injury hell behind him as he starts a new lease of life at Odsal.
Sutton has signed a 12-month deal with Bradford with the option of a further year following a spell in the NRL.
The 30-year-old initially made 118 appearances for his hometown club Wigan, scoring eleven tries, over a period of five seasons between 2014 and 2018.
Sutton joined Canberra Raiders ahead of the 2019 NRL campaign and spent four seasons in the Australian capital before moving to Canterbury Bulldogs on an AU$550,000-a-year deal.
But a series of serious injuries – including hip and knee issues – saw Sutton play just 13 NRL matches for the Bulldogs before the forward ruptured his bicep whilst on a train-and-trial deal with Gold Coast Titans.
After failing to land an NRL deal, Sutton was linked with a move back to Super League and it was Bradford that took advantage.
Now Haggerty is hoping Sutton has the stroke of luck needed to string a consistent number of games together for the sake of his career.
Haggerty said: “I really hope for him because he is a great bloke and a fantastic professional.
“I’ve met his family and partner numerous times; the bloke just needs a bit of luck.
“I’m hoping Bradford fans get to see the best version of Ryan Sutton. He is a very good player and he will offer a lot to this club.
“I had pinpointed him and we went big on getting Ryan over the line. We had numerous chats before he signed, so there was a lot of work that went into signing him.
“Since he’s been here he has been first class. He’s definitely one of our big players and one we will look to as a leader.”