Bradford Bulls exit of Eamon O'Carroll leads to reflection

As with any head coach, there were ups and downs, so we take a look at what he and his side got right, and ultimately, where they fell short in their attempts to win the 1895 Cup and Betfred Championship play-offs.

An obvious place to start would be the defence, where Bulls shipped 387 points in 26 league games, near identical to second-placed Toulouse, who allowed their opposition 384.

For both sides, that works out at just less than 15 points conceded per game, no mean feat in a league bursting with attacking talent.

To put that figure into some more context, runaway league leaders Wakefield aside, York were the next meanest, letting in 473 points, and everyone from sixth downwards conceded 500 or more.

It’s often said that defence is what wins you games, and it was a key factor in Bulls winning 16 of their matches.

Superb defending on their own goal line set up this Bulls try against Swinton, one of three games Bradford won to nil at Odsal this season. (Image: Tom Pearson)

But sometimes Bulls’ defence could get too frantic or aggressive, and that finally came back to bite in the play-off semis when Jayden Myers’ blatant yellow card saw the game in Toulouse turn on its head.

Bradford had far too many players sin-binned or sent off in 2024, their star man Eribe Doro missing key matches through suspension.

But even he was not as guilty as winger Jorge Taufua, who farcically missed around a third of Bulls’ league matches due to being banned.

A lot of Bulls’ selection problems in 2024 came through injury, but their frequent ill-discipline meant they were too often their own worst enemy.

But ill-discipline does not just mean taking people’s heads off in the tackle, it also refers to game management.

And tellingly, Bulls lost four games by one point, including the season-defining semi-final against Toulouse.

The way they played towards the end of those three regular season defeats was ridiculous.

They blew a 13-6 lead with eight minutes to go at home to Widnes, allowing Tom Gilmore to slot TWO last-gasp drop goals, they frantically tried to slot the one-pointer at Batley, before Josh Woods showed how it was done, and a stupid ball strip gifted one of the best kickers in the division, Ben Reynolds, the winning penalty with a minute to go against Featherstone.

Bulls trudge off against Widnes, knowing their own stupidity had cost them the game. (Image: Tom Pearson)

Add in the crazy game at strugglers Barrow, where Bulls blew a 16-point lead in the second half to draw, and you realise just how easily they could have finished second, which given the play-off structure, could have changed their whole season.

Yet O’Carroll helped inspire Bulls to some landmark achievements which got them fighting for a top-two finish in the first place.

A first win at Featherstone in nine years arrived in April, the draw in Toulouse in July marked a change from the usual drubbing in the South of France and they reached the 1895 Cup semis, having spent five years looking like they had no interest in reaching Wembley.

Jordan Lilley and Chester Butler celebrate the latter's try in the win at Featherstone in April. (Image: Tom Pearson)

Other than perhaps against that superior Wakefield side, and even then, Bulls led at half-time in the cup semi and only lost 14-2 at Odsal against them in the league, O’Carroll made us believe this team could compete with anyone, which has not been the case for much of the last few years.

And part of that added competitiveness was down to the fierce recruitment drive.

It’s been hard to keep up with the number of players who come through the door over the last year, whether that be lads from Down Under, Super League rejects, raw youngsters or panicked cover.

Yet it is testament to O’Carroll’s coaching abilities that pretty much none of the new boys looked overawed or out of place.

Mitch Souter only needed a few games before being touted as having a bright Super League future, Zac Fulton’s try-scoring rate in the first half of the season was ridiculous, Aidan McGowan clearly has an incredible future as a full back, and it was hard to believe that Jayden Okunbor and Franklin Pele were the same duo practically laughed out of Hull F.C. earlier this year.

Franklin Pele's power proved too much to handle for numerous Championship defences this season. (Image: Tom Pearson)

O’Carroll seemed to have a remarkable ability to instantly have players looking settled, and what could have been perceived as a chaotic recruitment drive ended up just looking clever.

But, ultimately, given the ability of the new signings, mixed with the real talent that remained from 2023, did O’Carroll underachieve?

On paper, there is little doubt that this was a stronger overall squad than last year, yet the outcome was exactly the same, a third-placed finish and defeat in the play-off semis.

In those most simple of terms, O’Carroll failed to progress the team, and now he has departed despite having a contract until 2027 with Bulls, we will never know if he could have built on the foundations of 2024.