Orford among candidates following Deacon departure (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Orford among candidates following Deacon departure

6:50am Saturday 21st November 2009

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The Bulls captaincy is up for grabs following Paul Deacon’s departure this week.

Deacon had held the role for the past three seasons and was expected to skipper Bradford again in 2010 before completing a shock move to Wigan.

His replacement at scrum half, Aussie ace Matt Orford, has strong leadership credentials of his own, having captained Manly to the NRL title in 2008.

But there are also contenders from within the existing squad, as Andy Lynch and Jamie Langley have both stood in for Deacon in the past.

Bulls chief Steve McNamara admits he has a tough decision on his hands but said: “It’s really early days for that.

“Deacs was our captain, although some people have stood in for him over the past few years. Andy Lynch and Jamie Langley have both stepped up to the mark and done good jobs in the past.

“We’ve got some decisions to make and we will be looking for people to lead. Matt Orford is a leader and has been captain at Manly, so even if he doesn’t become captain here we’ll be looking for him to lead.”

Meanwhile, Orford’s arrival is likely to be the Bulls’ last bit of business ahead of the new season.

McNamara said: “It’s probably the end of it for now. We will start getting the group ready for the new season and they’re well on the way to doing that.

“We are edging closer and closer to the new season so we have to concentrate on getting ourselves up to speed.”

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