Reinforcements are already on the way as the Bulls prepare to finally unload wantaway scrum half Matt Orford.
The veteran Aussie will likely finalise a move to Canberra Raiders within the next 24 hours, clearing the path for boss Mick Potter to further add to his squad.
Ten new faces have already arrived at the club during the off-season and Featherstone stand-off Kyle Briggs is set to become the 11th once personal terms have been agreed.
A fee has already been negotiated for the 23-year-old, who has a year left on his existing contract, and Bradford are hopeful of pushing a deal through before the players depart for warm-weather training in Lanzarote on Thursday.
Nominated for last year’s Championship player of the year award, Briggs addresses a need in the halves but his signing may not even be the last for 2011.
Orford’s imminent departure provides room for manoeuvre and a spare overseas quota spot to use in attracting potential recruits.
Until the weekend, legal red tape had stalled the 32-year-old’s Canberra switch, with the Bulls unwilling to budge on several demands made by the player’s representatives.
But the Raiders made the unusual move of unveiling Orford at a press conference yesterday – before he had officially joined the club – suggesting a compromise could be close at hand.
Although Bradford now appear unlikely to receive significant compensation for the former Dally M medallist, who had two years remaining on a contract signed just 13 months ago, they have enough salary-cap room for a big-name addition.
Leon Pryce remains high on the wish-list despite St Helens’ apparent unwillingness to sell and there is lingering hope a deal can be done at some point this year, if not before the season opener on February 13.
“Once we finalise Matt Orford’s departure that would put Bradford in a strong position,” said chairman Peter Hood.
“We would have a quota spot and when you take into account the other departures, we are under the salary cap.
“What we saw on the field on Sunday showed we have plenty of options already but if a quality player did come up, we could sign him.
“We are in a good position compared with other clubs as we have the flexibility to bring in more talent if available.”
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