Rejuvenated Danny Brough aiming to lead Bradford Bulls back into Super League

“I’m in for four days – five when we start playing Sundays – so it’s not much different to Super League,” the 38 year-old told The Yorkshire Post.

“It’s just a quarter of the wage for the same amount of time!”

In all seriousness, though, the former Steve Prescott Man of Steel cannot wait to get started after his switch from Wakefield Trinity.

It will be the first year since 2007, when he helped relegated Castleford Tigers win an immediate promotion, that he has not played in the top flight.

However, Brough has hardly played at all in the last year, hence the excitement.

He suffered a knee injury in Trinity’s Super League round one defeat at Hull KR last January and returned, ironically, in their Challenge Cup victory over Bradford on March 13.

But that was the club’s final game before Covid-19 halted the sport and regardless, during the lay-off, it was determined the former Scotland captain needed season-ending hip surgery.

It was not the way he envisaged his third spell at Belle Vue panning out and – out of contract at the end of the season – Brough accepted a two-year deal with Bulls, now hoping to do with them what he managed with Castleford.

“I was into my last year, I needed an operation, so we came to an agreement where I’d leave,” recalled the prolific former Huddersfield Giants captain who, with 2,462 points, trails only Leeds Rhinos’ Kevin Sinfield in Super League’s all-time scoring list.

“I had my surgery done and it gave them a chance to move on for this year so they could sort the half-back position out.

“I don’t hold grudges. There’s no hard feelings from my side.

“I am looking forward to playing again. It was probably the worst year I’ve had in rugby if I’m perfectly honest.

“You hear other people saying the same and I get it now. I had a couple of injuries and not being able to play, like I wasn’t, meant it was frustrating. But I’m now hoping to contribute to Bradford having a decent season.”

Bulls had hoped to earn a spot in Super League but missed out to Championship rivals Leigh Centurions when an independent panel decided in December who would replace Toronto Wolfpack this year.

Nevertheless, with John Kear at the helm – under whom Brough won the 2005 Challenge Cup with Hull FC – and with a talented squad at their disposal, they are aiming to earn promotion the more traditional way this year.

Brough, part of their “hybrid” squad of part-time and full-time players, said: “I’ve looked around at all the clubs and there’s some really good squads.

“Ours is up there with them. We’ve got a lot of experience and a lot of good young kids as well so it’s a good blend.

“Hopefully we come together. Things take time and we haven’t got a lot of it so we need to get in that top six as soon as possible.

“The Championship is a really good competition; you never know who is going to win here.

“The main reason behind coming here obviously was John’s influence to try and help me on the coaching side along the way.

“I would like to go into coaching eventually. That’s the plan but hopefully I can help the half-backs here at the club as well. We’ve got some great talent around with young ones like Billy (Jowitt) and Reece (Hamlet) as well.”

Former Leeds Rhinos player Jordan Lilley is set to be Brough’s half-back partner but Kear has also strengthened elsewhere.

The capture of versatile Huddersfield Giants star Aaron Murphy is another major coup while Wales centre Rhys Evans has returned from Leeds and the West Yorkshire club has recruited on-loan Hull KR winger Elliot Wallis plus former Castleford and Halifax prop Dan Fleming.

Details of Bradford’s opening fixtures were confirmed yesterday with Bulls due to visit Featherstone Rovers – one of their promotion rivals – in the Betfred Challenge Cup first round on Sunday, March 21 (3pm).

Their Championship opener will be against Sheffield Eagles at Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium a fortnight later on Easter Sunday (12.45pm).

On his fitness after that major surgery, Brough added: “I’m getting there. Obviously I’m still not 100 per cent but I’m along the way and the physio is doing well with me. I’m training all the time and feeling decent.

“I’ll definitely be ready for the first game and I’ll hopefully get involved in the friendlies, too, when they get in stone.”

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