Bradford Bulls love Franklin Pele aggression but care needed

The powerful prop terrified the Dewsbury defence last Sunday on his Betfred Championship debut, but he was also sin-binned for obliterating Jimmy Beckett with an alleged late hit, leaving his opposite number floored and seeing stars.

O’Carroll maintains Pele was unlucky to see yellow for that incident, but it has led to him receiving a one-match ban for Grade B Dangerous Contact, ruling him out of the game against Wakefield next weekend.

It was more ammunition to fire back at the New Zealander, who was infamously sent off on his Hull F.C. debut earlier this year for a blatant swinging arm into the face of Hull KR’s Elliot Minchella.

At the Bulls fans’ forum on Monday, there was clearly a buzz about the eye-catching Pele’s display the previous day, though some seemed to be suggesting that his technique is a little ragged and needs fine-tuning.

Discussing that, O’Carroll told the T&A: “He does bring something a bit different, so it’s finding the right balance with that.

“I don’t want Franklin to come here, sit back and be wary of showing his aggression.

“The reason we’ve brought him here is to be disruptive, but there’s obviously a line, so we don’t want him to cross that.

“I think there was an element of bad luck with his yellow card at Dewsbury, but Franklin will know he needs to be a little bit better in situations like that.

“We’re not judging him on that though, we think he had a strong game and he’ll get better.”

Pele will be delighted that close friend Jayden Okunbor is joining him in the squad for this evening’s game in Toulouse, the winger having been brought back on loan from Hull F.C.

Jayden Okunbor's presence, as an older, more experienced head and close friend, could help keep Franklin Pele at the right level of aggression. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

The two of them have been involved in a full-time environment at the Airlie Birds this season, but most of the Bulls squad have only ever known part-time rugby.

That poses a unique challenge when it comes to playing in France like this weekend, with O’Carroll saying: “It’s something to be excited about really because it’s a proper opportunity for us to spend some time together as a squad.

“You only get to do this trip once or twice a year, so it’s one we’re looking forward to, and it’s great to have a few of the players’ families coming out to join them.

“We’ll still be approaching the trip with a professional attitude though, understanding that it’s another game we want to get two points from.”

Eamon O'Carroll wants to allow his players to relax in Toulouse, but be fully switched on for the game itself. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

Asked if his two spells in France as Catalans Dragons’ assistant coach can give him and his side any sort of advantage, O’Carroll said: “I think just having that open-mindedness of when you’re travelling abroad, not letting any disruption in your preparation harm you.

“Anything could happen, you could get to the airport and have your flight delayed for example, so my big message to the group is just to embrace it.

“We’ve made sure our last training session of the week is on the Thursday, so the focus on the Friday is all about getting to Toulouse, and not having to worry about training upon arrival.

“We’ll get some recovery done, watch the Super League together on the Friday night, then go for a nice walk on the Saturday and just enjoy spending that time with each other more than anything.”