Bradford Bulls coach says professionalism better at club now

John Kear had been sacked in the April after over four years in charge and while Mark Dunning inspired an immediate upturn in form when he took interim charge, his permanent appointment in July brought with it a collapse.

Bradford won just two of their final 12 league games and needed a revamp going into 2023.

Aside from the off-field appointments of Noble and Greenwood, the off-season signings of Michael Lawrence, Jack Walker and Bodene Thompson signalled a change in momentum.

Recruitment over the last two years has seen several more experienced players arrive at Odsal, resulting in higher standards on and off the field, as Bulls reached two successive play-off semi-finals.

James Donaldson, Ronan Michael and Emmanuel Waine are just three of the players joining the club for 2025 with a reputation for their work ethic and meticulous approach to training. 

Those three, who have come from “good environments”, have helped increase expectations of what can be achieved next year, with Greenwood highlighting the professionalism of the playing group as a key area that has improved since he first arrived.

He told the club’s in house media: “The club seemed like it already on a bit of an upward trajectory when I came in.

This limp home defeat to, ironically, John Kear's Widnes on the final day of the 2022 season summed up Bulls' dreadful year. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

“Some of the names and players that were brought in right before I joined, they were obviously of a good level, big names that had already committed to be here. 

“Since I've been here, I've seen progression in terms of professionalism and levels, whether that comes from what the staff have been trying to get in place or some of the playing personnel, who raise the standards within the group.

“Some of them have a big influence on what goes on. They'll pull other people up when things aren't right, and they'll lead by example.

“We've probably increased that number of people from when I first joined, as it went from having maybe two or three that led by example, but with a lot sort of not used to that, or not displaying sort of some of those behaviours, whereas now it's probably tipped in our favour. 

“I'd say we've got a really good number of people that are professional in what they do.

“They've been in good environments, they know how to train, look after themselves and I suppose those numbers have grown.

"What you see then is they don't need policing as much as probably what they did when I first came in.

“The expectation levels from everybody too, not just within but obviously from supporters and other people out there that see us, they probably expect a bit more from us now than when I joined at the start of 2023.

“When you finish third twice and you start bringing in more players in that have played NRL and Super League, expectations do go up.

Bradford Bulls have lose two play-off semi-finals in a row against Toulouse, so the challenge now is to get past that hurdle. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

“But personnel and behaviours wise as well, I've seen an improvement over the last couple of years.” 

The familiar pairing of first team coach Greenwood and head coach Brian Noble will be looking to steer the Bulls to even greater heights in 2025, following three semi-finals, including one in the 1895 Cup, over the last two years.

Greenwood expects that continuity to be of real benefit to the squad.

He said: “By bringing someone new in at this stage, they might not have signed some of the people that we've brought in, nor might they have kept some of the players that we've retained.

“They might want a different type of team or play a different type of way, which is understandable.

“You probably get that that period where it's not quite their team for a start and any individual that goes in as a head coach in charge of a team, you end up wanting to put your stamp on it, and that usually means a player turnover. 

Bradford Bulls have taken different kinds of gambles on big-name Super League flop Jayden Okunbor and homegrown centre Jayden Myers, with their faith in both looking like a smart move. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

“It's probably good in a way that when we don't need that, as Brian and I have been involved in all the conversations, so we knew who we wanted to keep and who we wanted to bring in.

“It was obviously Eamon (O’Carroll)'s choice in the end, but we discussed all those like we did with everything. 

“We know the players, so we know what to expect from them, what we can ask of them, the improvements that can be made.

“We know what all the strengths are and what we're good at, and we were good for large parts and in certain areas over the course of the season. 

“It's about building from there, rather than starting from scratch and just getting to know each other.

“I think that'll help us, but we've still got a good number of new players in there and in influential positions as well.

“There's still going to be a bit of getting everyone used to each other and how people play.

“There’s still going to be a bit of making sure people know what other people’s strengths are and you look at people like Jimmy Meadows and Joe Keyes, the positions that they're going to be figuring in.

“There's still a bit of work to do with that, especially when you're part-time and only monitoring it a few times a week.”