Steve McNamara, a Super League winner with the Bulls in 1997, is thrilled to be back at the club, this time as a coach.

The 32-year-old former loose-forward has hung up his playing boots to join the Bulls' coaching staff as an assistant to Brian Noble.

He will also team up with Academy co-coaches Phil Veivers and Jimmy Lowes.

He replaces Bernard Dwyer, who has joined the prison service.

McNamara was approached by Noble in 2002 but chose to play on at Huddersfield for one more season. But when Noble came calling again this year, he couldn't turn down a golden opportunity to begin his coaching career.

"It's brilliant to be back," said McNamara.

"I'm over the moon. It's a fantastic club and a great environment at which to start your coaching career.

"I wanted to play one more year at Huddersfield and thankfully Brian came back for me at the end of the season."

Working under former Bulls coach Brian Smith as a 17-year-old first sparked McNamara's interest in coaching and it was a career path he was always determined to follow, so Noble's second offer was enough to tempt him to quit playing.

"I'd gone as far as I could go as a player at Huddersfield. We weren't going to be in a position to win anything, even though we had a great season last year. My body was starting to feel it and I had this opportunity at the Bulls.

"It's something that I've always wanted to do."

McNamara started work this month and has been impressed with the depth of talent in the Bulls academy system.

"I thought we trained hard when I was at the Bulls last time, but Martin Clawson, our conditioner, is right on top of these guys and they are all responding to it unbelievably. Any one of them could come through the way they are training at the minute.

"I knew there would be some top talent but now that I've seen them in training, if they can take that sort of attitude into the games, then there are going to be some bright futures for some of the young lads here.

"The goal is to produce as many players as you possibly can to be knocking on the first team door.

"It would be great for them to win the competition, but the main aim for everyone in the 21s is not to be a 21s player any more, it is to be a first-team player. That's the be all and end all of the job.

"I'll be very happy if I'm banging on Brian Noble's door halfway through the season telling him he should be picking half a dozen of my players and I hope that's the case."