Bulls assistant Steve McNamara could be leaving Odsal to become Hull FC's head coach.

The Airlie Birds yesterday sacked John Kear and swiftly targeted their

former player to become the youngest boss in Super League.

Bradford chief executive Gareth Davies admitted: "There has been a formal approach and we are considering it."

That means Hull-born McNamara now faces a

massive decision about his own future and he was locked in talks with Davies last night as the World Club champions tried to persuade him to stay.

The 34-year-old is viewed as one of the brightest young coaches around and the natural successor to Brian Noble when the Odsal chief calls time on his success-laden regime at the Super League champions.

However, that might not be until the end of next season and the ambitious McNamara now has an immediate opportunity to take on a head coach role at the Bulls' rivals.

The former Great Britain international still lives in Hull, where he started his career as a player before moving to Bradford, Wake-field and Huddersfield, and managing his home-town club would be a dream job.

But the Powergen Challenge Cup holders are currently in turmoil. They have won just three Super League games so far and were dumped out of the Cup at the first hurdle on Saturday, ironically by the Bulls.

That proved the final nail in the coffin for Kear, who had been living in fear of the axe all year after the club refused to open negotiations about a new contract.

Despite having guided Hull to their first Challenge Cup success in 23 years and a first Super League play-off victory in 2005, the club yesterday announced they will not be renewing it.

Whether McNamara, who runs the Bulls Senior Academy side as well as

acting as Noble's assistant, will decide to take the offer remains to be seen.

He admits he is still learning as a coach and might see the high-pressure role at one of rugby's most famous clubs as coming along too soon.

The Bulls will not stand in his way if he decides to take up the offer but they are trying desperately to keep him.

It seems likely they will promise McNamara the head coach role whenever Noble packs in, while there has been some talk of the boss taking on a director of rugby title allowing his prodigy to step forward beforehand.

Meanwhile, the venue might not be everyone's cup of tea but Bulls skipper Iestyn Harris has backed the Rugby Football League's decision to take this year's Powergen Challenge Cup final to Twickenham.

The league bowed to the inevitable by switching the August 26 showpiece from the yet-to-be-completed Wembley Stadium - and because many of the 35,000 fans who have bought tickets have also booked hotel accommodation in the capital, they opted to keep the final in London.

Rain-hit Twickenham was not the most popular venue for the 2001 final between St Helens and the Bulls, or the 2000 World Cup match between England and Australia.

But Harris, who guided 2004 winners Bradford to a 23-12 victory over holders Hull in a fourth-round tie on Saturday, believes the home of the RFU will prove to be an ideal second choice.

Harris said: "Obviously everybody wants to play at Wembley. It's disappointing that it's going to be on hold for a while but Twickenham is a fantastic stadium and to play there in a final would be something special."