11:00am Tuesday 17th November 2009
By Connor Murphy
Matt Orford feels ‘blessed’ after completing a dream move to Bradford Bulls.
The 31-year-old Aussie star signed a lucrative three-year deal yesterday to complete a whirlwind week for both player and club.
As Orford arrived, club captain Paul Deacon headed through the Odsal exit.
After a glittering 11-year Bradford career, Deacon was released to join hometown club Wigan in a dual playing and coaching role.
Bulls boss Steve McNamara swooped for Orford after he learned of Wigan’s interest in Deacon, capitalising on Manly’s failure to tie their captain to a new deal.
It was an opportunity that came as a shock to the talented Sea Eagles scrum half, who had fully intended on staying put next season and even joined up with team-mates for some early pre-season work last week. But with his NRL future still uncertain, the timing was right for a move to Super League.
“I’ve had some really successful years at a great club and I’m blessed that I’ve got the opportunity to go to another great club,” said Orford.
“It took me a while to comprehend the whole thing. But there were a lot of positives that came up that made me excited about the move.
“I was shocked but it was something that appealed to me straight away and I have always wanted to play in Super League.
“You can’t control these things and the timing was right. I don’t want to kick myself and regret not going.
“Leaving Manly is one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make but it’s a chance to fulfil one of my dreams in footy.”
Orford will continue to train with Manly as he awaits a visa for his move and is expected to arrive in England next month.
And McNamara is confident his scrum half capture will be the perfect replacement for Deacon, who has won every major club honour since joining from Oldham in 1998.
“Matt’s a very high-calibre player and his record speaks for itself,” said McNamara.
“Deacs has been outstanding for us but, with the opportunity he had at Wigan, we felt this was in the best interests of everybody.
“So we had to do some research and we spoke to contacts before making an offer to Matt. We’re delighted to sign such a strong replacement.”
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