McNamara looking to make most of reprieve

THERE was a time when the first date Bradford Bulls supporters penned in their diaries was Grand Final night.

Old Trafford was a second home, the club famously featuring in five successive finals between 2001 and 2005.

They expected to be there and were equally confident of keeping Challenge Cup final weekend free, such was their

all-round dominance.

Four-time champions Bradford have now gone four seasons without even reaching a final and seen bitter rivals Leeds Rhinos eclipse them as the ultimate force.

They have had to learn to live in the shadows and suffered the embarrassment of not even reaching the top-eight play-off spots last season.

The reasons for their downfall have been well-documented.

They spent big in their pursuit of that silverware and lived beyond their means, something which has caught up with them since they made history charging from third place to beat Leeds in the 2005 finale.

Money issues partly caused the victorious side to splinter, legends such as Jamie Peacock, Robbie Paul and Leon Pryce all departing simultaneously, while at the same time their Super League rivals started spending more in their own bid for glory.

The competition has levelled out and it is only champions Leeds's famed conveyor belt of homegrown talent that has seen them stand-out from the rest for the last three years.

However, the Rhinos' talent pool is not bottomless and, like many things, sport can be cyclical; the Bulls currently have on their books some of the finest youngsters in the country, eager to step up and make their mark.

After taking over from the illustrious Brian Noble in 2006, head coach Steve McNamara made it his main priority to build from the bottom and strengthen the club's Academy.

That is beginning to pay dividends with a raft of youngsters making their Super League debuts last year including James Donaldson, Elliott Whitehead and Tom Olbison.

McNamara believes they can provide the backbone for future success but 2010 will prove crucial in deciding whether he stays to see it come to fruition.

No one would have envisaged the Bulls finishing ninth last season but in recording their worst Super League standing, he is under immense pressure to turn things around.

Save for a late flourish, Bradford were set for 12th spot – bottom of the pile if not for the increase to a 14-club competition – such was their inconsistency. McNamara could be thankful for holding onto his job, even considering injuries to key players such as Glenn Morrison, David Solomona and Paul Deacon.

However, he has already shown his determination to make sure he prospers from the reprieve; it was today confirmed McNamara has released two of his closest colleagues and friends – assistant coach Basil Richards and conditioner Martin Clawson – a ruthless decision but one the head coach must feel was needed to move forward.

There has been another major turnaround in senior playing staff for 2010 and McNamara knows – as he enters the final year of his own contract – he has to get performances right.

Departed England star Sam Burgess will be missed but in Danny Sculthorpe, the Bulls have an old-school prop desperate to prove people wrong and he could surprise many during the coming campaign.

And in gifted Australian

scrum-half Matt Orford, McNamara also importantly has the on-field lieutenant the Bulls have so badly lacked in recent times.

If the former Manly No 7 can make an instant impact with his strong mentality, sheer class and organising qualities, and the other new Australians all settle, too, there is no reason why Bulls' fans cannot start pencilling in those important dates again more in confidence than sheer blind optimism.