Fallen giants Bradford Bulls are a different club these days

The decision of a panel, chaired by Lord Jonathan Caine and made up of representatives from Super League and the RFL, regarding who will be the competition’s 12th club in 2021, is to be announced at noon on Monday.

All Bradford can now do, like Championship rivals York City Knights, Featherstone Rovers, London Broncos, Toulouse Olympique and Leigh Centurions, is wait and see what happens.

The four-times Super League champions have been out of the elite since relegation in 2014.

They were liquidated in 2017 having been through three administrations inside just five years, each time dogged by failed ownership regimes.

Admittedly, in their new form, Bradford tick plenty of boxes, not least an impressive academy, fan base and coaching quality with former Wakefield Trinity, Hull FC and England chief John Kear.

However, are they confident in being able to thrive again under a current set-up which, since taking them out of special measures last winter, involves former RFL chief executive Nigel Wood and his family as major shareholders with Dewsbury Rams chairman Mark Sawyer as acting CEO?

Kear told The Yorkshire Post: “Yes, yes I am. I’ve got confidence in it and, in a strange way, my confidence in the stability in the current regime has come about through this year. This year could not have been a worse year for society, business or sporting clubs.

“But the club has looked after every employee to the nth degree. I am very, very confident now that we are in a good place with the current regime and that we can go forward.

“He (Nigel) has been very supportive in all his actions for all the performance staff. That’s first-team level, reserve – which we were going to run before it was cancelled and academy.

“He’s been 10 out of 10. Mark Sawyer’s been the acting CEO and whether that will change I don’t know. Only time will tell.”

Bradford, of course, have also been playing out of Dewsbury’s Tetley Stadium before the pandemic shut down the sport in March, the costs of operating at traditional home Odsal crippling.

Talks are ongoing with the RFL – who own the lease to the stadium – about facilitating a return and that would have to be completed if the Bulls did get the nod

Kear admitted: “It’s been a good (application) process to go through. We’ve had to review our systems, structures and organisation and see where we can improve. It’s been a useful exercise regardless of which division we’re in. But having been part of the process I do believe we have a strong application. We’ve a great fan base, first-class training facilities, we can be competitive with very few tweaks to our squad and obviously we provide one of the best academies there is. People like Jake Trueman, Elliot Whitehead, John Bateman and the Burgess boys tell you that.

“Yes, we have some historic events that have gone against us but so have the majority of the clubs involved. You have to look at where everyone is under the current administrations both at York, Leigh, Featherstone, Toulouse, London and ourselves.”

Squad-wise, Kear had already made significant signings preparing for life in the Championship in 2021, before Toronto Wolfpack’s own implosion saw this unexpected chance for promotion arise.

Veteran scrum-half Danny Brough joined from Wakefield Trinity while the versatile Aaron Murphy is an excellent acquisition from Huddersfield Giants.

There are plenty of quality players on the market waiting to see who gets the last Super League spot, including Wakefield winger Ben Jones-Bishop, Huddersfield’s Ukuma Ta’ai, Warrington Wolves half-back Dec Patton and Castleford Tigers’ Junior Moors.

Kear has earmarked seven players if they do get the green light. Assembling a squad for the promoted club is ordinarily a difficult process as it is so late in the year when they know which division they will be in.

That should be even worse now but Kear argued: “This year, more than any, is the best to go up and build a squad at a late date. Again it’s because of this weird Covid year. There are plenty of players about and some quality Australian players being offered, too.

“We run a hybrid system at the minute (part-time and full-time players) and I’m going to stay loyal to the lads who have served the club so well. The additions would be full-time which strengthens that part of our programme.”

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