Bradford Bulls boss Eamon O'Carroll hails John Davies

The 33-year-old second rower stepped into an unfamiliar position by accompanying Jordan Lilley in one of the two half-back roles, with injuries leaving O’Carroll with little room for manoeuvre in that position.

The Bradford Boss spoke in glowing terms of Davies when reflecting on his performance, when he said: “I love JD’s (John Davies) attitude; he’ll play wherever we ask him too. We went the way of playing him in the halves tonight because we were lacking numbers in that position, but he also looked really comfortable in training when playing there.

“He makes things look simple, and I think he managed to help Jordan in that regard.”

O’Carroll went on to say: “JD’s experience will also be hugely important for us going forward. I still think there’s more to come from him too, which is what excites me. He has a real calmness about him, and he knows what he wants the people around him to do.

“It helps to take pressure off a number of players.”

John Davies had an exceptional game in the half-backs (Image: Tom Pearson)

Another player who had a barnstorming game for Bradford on Good Friday was Jordan Lilley, who had a perfect kicking record for the evening and managed the game exceptionally well through his boot with the clock ticking down.

O’Carroll said: “I knew we were going to get a big performance from Jordan Lilley today. After speaking to him throughout the week, it was clear that he was ready for a performance like that.

“I can never knock Jordan’s effort; he’s got loads of energy, I love what he does and he’s a joy to work with. Having someone like JD at the side of him tonight I think complimented him, and as a pair I think they did their jobs really well.”

Jordan Lilley's kicking game was faultless (Image: Tom Pearson)

Reflecting on Bradford’s dogged defence throughout the 80 minutes, O’Carroll said: “I was really pleased with the defensive effort the team put in today. Your attitude is determined by how you defend for each other, and I think we’ve had that in large periods of time during our last few games including the friendlies as well.

“The amount of effort we had to keep turning up for each other was great. We looked desperate at times to continue in that vain, which is something I love about this group. I’ve seen it throughout pre-season, and I’ve seen it right until the final whistle today – a team that wants to fight for each other and care about each other.”

It’s O’Carroll’s first league win since taking charge at Bulls and it’s come in his first Betfred Championship outing at Odsal, which bodes well for the future.

He said: “I’m really happy to get the first win, particularly the manner in which we did so. That was the pleasing one for me.

“The challenge for us know will be to back that up and keep our feet firmly on the ground so that we don’t get carried away. I’m immensely proud with the group for going out and getting the job done even when it was tough to do so.”

Kieran Gill trudged off the field in the 71st minute with what appeared to be a serious injury, however O’Carroll confirmed that the prolific try scorer hasn’t suffered anything long-term.

 “Kieran’s okay, thankfully. We thought he’d done something serious, but he had cramp in both legs. We thought we were going to need a helicopter to take him off the field,” O’Carroll joked.

Eribe Doro returned to the lineup prematurely, having been expected to be out of action for another three weeks following an ankle injury, and O’Carroll confirmed that the powerful forward came through his first 80 minutes back unscathed.

He said: “Eribe had a strong game and he’s come through it well in terms of not feeling his injury. He had to come off, and I was worried, but it was just cramp again due to fatigue.

“He puts so much energy into his performances and it highlighted how much we’ve missed him. We’ve missed Eribe a lot, so we’re delighted to have him back.”

Eribe Doro made a strong return to the Bradford side (Image: Tom Pearson)

Debuts to Connor Carr, Max Wood, Zac Fulton and Tyran Ott were given by O’Carroll and they more than impressed him.

He said: “The four on debut, I think they all contributed massively and offered a lot to the game.

“I love what Max is about; he runs hard, he runs direct but he’s also got a lot of skill about him too, particularly when he’s ripping out of a tackle and playing the ball.

“I think Zac was brilliant too, and we haven’t the best of him yet. I’ll throw Tyran in there as well; I thought Mitch Souter was terrific but then to be able to bring on someone of Tyran’s quality, it’s a massive help to the group.

“So, overall, I’m really happy with those boys.”