Trio pay tribute to the Bulls' angry little man (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Trio pay tribute to the Bulls' angry little man

3:00pm Friday 20th November 2009

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Three key Bulls figures pay tribute to Paul Deacon on his departure following 12 years service at Odsal.

Current Bulls back-rower Jamie Langley played first-grade rugby with Deacon for seven years and says he will forever be remember as an angry little man: "Deacs leaving has come as a massive shock to all of us. We all want to wish him well at Wigan, he’s a cracking lad and a great character.

"We’ve got a quality replacement for him in Matty Orford but Deacs is still going to be a big loss. He was part of the furniture around here - our longest-serving player, our captain and our leader from scrum half.

"Probably what I'll remember most about him is how grumpy he was. If he didn't get enough sleep the night before, he could be a right angry little man. That was him to a tee.

"If you were doing anything wrong, he would be the first to tell you and knock you down a peg or two. He's got a very smart footballing brain and he's very opinionated. But he's a cracking lad and he'll be missed."

Robbie Paul, who featured alongside Deacon in the all-conquering Bulls side that won three Super League titles, paid tribute to the scrum half's intelligence and loyalty: "First and foremost, any player who stays at one club throughout most of his career deserves respect. He was hot property while playing for a successful Bulls team but he decided to stay true to the Bradford cause.

"Throughout the golden years, he was there. His leadership has grown throughout the years but he's always had his teammates' respect.

"He was an academic as well, which is a rarity in our sport. He came to the club at such a young age but still kept up his studies and that has stood him in good stead.

"Paul has still got that cheekiness and that baby-face even now but it’s a camouflage and he’s taken a lot of teams and a lot of players by surprise.

"He’s always had leadership qualities and he commands respect through intelligence. He has a rare way of being able to understand the team as a unit made up of individuals and knows how to communicate with each player as the individual part of a whole.

"It doesn’t matter what he applies himself to, whether it’s in sport or his private life, he’ll be successful."

Former Bulls boss Brian Noble says Deacon will be remembered as an Odsal great: "Deacs is one of the best signings in Bradford’s history and has grown to be the focal point of the club. We had a choice of a few scrum halves at the time but we went with him. He served a tough apprenticeship and had to wait his chance behind the Robbie and Henry Paul but he grew into a great player.

"Paul Deacon may not be seen as a superstar but he’s a superstar in the coach’s eyes. He’s astute, clever and you never had to do much coaching with him be-cause he understood the game. His ego is firmly in check and he will always do what is best for the team.

"I'm sure he will be a success as a coach. Bradford have always had systems in place to help their players develop and hehas the understanding of the game to be able to do it.

"On top of all that, he's a great bloke too. He's done all of this but he's still grounded."

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