Bradford Bulls have announced that head coach Eamon O’Carroll has signed a one-year contract extension – to commit his future to the club until the end of the 2027 season.

The 37-year-old signed an initial three-year deal as head coach prior to the start of the current campaign and has since led the Bulls to an AB Sundecks 1895 Cup semi-final berth and joint-fourth position in the league despite a well-documented, horrendous injury list.

O’Carroll has spoken of his excitement at what the future holds, insisting the decision to extend was an easy one. 

He said: “I’m absolutely delighted. I am really excited about the future and most importantly, my family and I are really happy here.

“I have got a great support network around me, which every head coach needs, and I am confident and excited about what the future holds. 

“There is loads of potential here but it’s important we keep our feet firmly on the ground, understand where we are at and where we want to get better.

“We are doing some things really well that we need to maintain, and there are enough people in the door to make sure the club makes steps in the right direction, and I want to be a part of that moving forward. It was an easy decision.”

O’Carroll added: “Everyone has clarity now so we know where we are at, which will help things moving forward.

“We are heavily into the recruitment side of things but also looking at retention too. It’s important to be able to sit down with the current players and know that we have stability in terms of who will be coaching them, which also makes things easier for them.” 

Chief Executive Officer Jason Hirst said: “On behalf of the club, I am delighted that we have extended Eamon’s contract by a further year, until the end of the 2027 season. 

“Coming off the back of Eamon and the club rebuffing an approach from a Super League club for his services earlier this month, it sends a clear signal of our joint intent and determination to return to Super League at the earliest opportunity. 

“The fact that we were able to shake hands on this new deal after literally a ten-minute conversation yesterday afternoon speaks volumes of our utmost confidence in Eamon and the mutual trust and respect that exists between him and the club’s Board of Directors. 

“I now encourage our loyal army of fans to get behind Eamon, our team and our club in large numbers for the remainder of this season, as your support can and does make a massive difference. Thank you.”