BULLS’ interim head coach Lee Greenwood admits he and Brian Noble still have no idea what role they will play if they do remain at Odsal in 2024.

With the pair putting all of their efforts into the 2023 campaign, which ended on Saturday night with a Betfred Championship play-off semi-final defeat to Toulouse, Greenwood has not given much thought to what will happen once Eamon O’Carroll takes charge from next month.

And while club CEO Jason Hirst told the T&A in July that he intended to keep Noble on as the club’s football consultant and Greenwood as O’Carroll’s assistant, talks still need to be had.

After the defeat in Toulouse, Greenwood said: “We’ve just been focusing completely on this year because we didn’t want anything to get in the way of concentrating on that.

“I’m sure Brian and I will sit down in the coming days and start having conversations, but Eamon’s been really busy helping Catalans get to a Grand Final and we’ve been trying to do the same.

“It’s very much been focusing on week-to-week stuff from us, while the club have been busy retaining players for next year.

“In terms of myself, I’ll probably sit down the club and speak to them about how it’s going to look next year.

“I can’t speak for Brian though, so you’ll have to ask him.”

From speaking to Greenwood after the Toulouse game, it certainly seems as if he and Noble would relish the chance to work with the squad going forward.

He said: “We’ve just said after the game, it would have been nice for Brian and I to have had this group since pre-season.

“It was very disjointed, with players coming in and players getting injured, and there were a lot of changes going on, but it was what it was.

“We’ve dealt with what’s been put in front of us, but I don’t think the team is going to particularly get broken up, there are only one or two who potentially won’t be here.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Ben Blackmore is one of those who will be back for another crack with the Bulls in 2024.Ben Blackmore is one of those who will be back for another crack with the Bulls in 2024. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

“The club are working hard to add to that, so hopefully you’ll see a stronger squad than the one that ended the season, with players back fit, which will also help.

“I’ve enjoyed working with Brian and the players have been brilliant. They’ve been receptive to everything we’ve done with them, they’ve bought into everything and they’ve got us this close.

“It just wasn’t quite close enough.”

Several Bulls players slumped to the floor in despair after the full-time whistle on Saturday, the agony clear after a 2022 filled with apathy at Odsal.

Greenwood said: “I can’t speak for a year ago as I wasn’t here, but with what we’ve tried to build and put in place, the players will be as disappointed as the staff are.

“We all put a lot into this and we weren’t just here to make the numbers up. We had to win our last couple of games to make the play-offs, then finished third.

“We didn’t want to go out last week or today, we wanted to get into a Grand Final and give it a shot.

“Everyone’s gutted and disappointed because we’ve put a lot into it and we feel this team is capable of doing something.”

The fans, whether that be those in the stands in France, watching the exclusive live stream from Odsal, or following radio or text commentary from their sofas, would have been equally gutted.

Those at the stadium never stopped backing their side throughout, and Greenwood said: “Every club has a group of supporters who’ll go anywhere with them, Bradford probably just has a bigger number doing it.

“But this was a short turnaround, and the availability and price of flights was crazy, as we found trying to get our own staff here.

“There were flights cancelled this morning and people had to drive to different airports and find another way to get themselves over.

“During the match, the fans never stopped singing from minute one to 80.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: There was a great atmosphere among the travelling Bulls fans as usual, but they could not quite help see their team over the line for once.There was a great atmosphere among the travelling Bulls fans as usual, but they could not quite help see their team over the line for once. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

“I think we’ve created a team they’re proud of and that’s why they’ve been travelling in numbers these recent weeks to the away games.

“Hopefully that’s the starting point now for this team, and hopefully the supporters see that and get straight on board with it from round one next year.”