JORDAN Baldwinson is looking to get his career back on track with Doncaster following his sad Bradford Bulls exit.

Initially arriving at Odsal as a teenager in 2014 on loan from New Zealand Warriors, he returned to Bradford on a permanent deal ahead of the 2022 season.

He was integral to the side at prop for a year and a half, before suffering a horror knee injury in a defeat to Toulouse in June 2023.

The club worked closely with him in his rehabilitation, but it effectively destroyed the second half of his three-year spell.

With little realistic chance of breaking into the Bulls front row in 2025, Baldwinson left the club when his contract expired at the end of the season just gone.

Jordan Balldwinson was crucial in this brilliant Bulls win at Halifax in April 2023, but he suffered his dreadful knee injury less than three months later.Jordan Balldwinson was crucial in this brilliant Bulls win at Halifax in April 2023, but he suffered his dreadful knee injury less than three months later. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

But he will be remaining in the Betfred Championship, after Doncaster snapped him up on a two-year deal.

The South Yorkshire side impressed in 2024, as they put up a good fight in the race for the play-offs in their first season after promotion from League 1, eventually falling just three points short of the top six.

Baldwinson may have left Odsal, but one person who has remained at Bulls is Nick Botten, who will be their head of strength and conditioning for 2025 after signing a one-year contract extension.

Botten joined the Bulls in April this year, having previously worked for Barnsley FC’s Women’s Squad as their sports scientist. 

He will have a key role when Bradford resume pre-season training today, and he said: “This period is massively important for what we want to achieve next year.

“The lads have enjoyed some time to rest, as it’s a tough sport, so their bodies are sore and need time to recover before we start pre-season.

“We go in quite hard early on to get them capable of managing a 26-28 game season. 

“There will be lots of hard work, we will do a lot of testing and gym work before building in what Brian (Noble) and Lee (Greenwood) want in terms of skill development.

“Pre-season is supposed to be hard but we will have a good time, make some bonds and develop a harmony, that will be a big part of it.

“There will be times when they will come off knowing they’ve worked hard but we can have a good time at the same time.”