Orford insists: I'm going nowhere

7:00am Tuesday 1st June 2010 in Sport By Connor Murphy, Bradford Bulls Reporter

Matt Orford says the Sydney media have got it all wrong Matt Orford says the Sydney media have got it all wrong

Matt Orford has rubbished rumours of a return to Australia, insisting: I’m here for the long haul.

Reports in the Sydney media had suggested the 32-year-old scrum half was homesick and seeking an early release from the three-year deal he signed in November to pursue options in the NRL.

The claims coincided with the player’s agent, George Mimis, making a scheduled trip to the UK, which further fueled speculation Orford was seeking crisis talks with his club.

But the former Manly skipper was quick to dismiss any question marks over his commitment to Bradford and insists he is enjoying life in Super League.

“They’re complete rumours,” he told the T&A. “My manager’s not making a special trip for me, he’s doing his UK trip for his Aussie players based over here. That’s the Sydney media for you.

“I’m still here for another couple of years and I’m still enjoying it.

They’re complete rumours. I’m still here for another couple of years and I’m still enjoying it

Matt Orford

“I’ve been out for the last couple of weeks and it’s never nice watching your team play, it’s pretty hard, but once you get back playing and into the routine of things, you’re fine.”

Sunday’s heartbreaking Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat to Warrington was Orford’s first game in a month, after he battled against the odds to declare himself fit despite ongoing shoulder problems.

Visibly deflated in the aftermath, the Aussie veteran struggled to find words to describe his disappointment but insists the Bulls’ belief has not been shaken.

He said: “I thought there was so much effort from our blokes but we were probably just a whisker off and didn’t get the result we were after.

“To come that close to a final is pretty disappointing but the competition goes on.

“We’ve never doubted our ability as a team. The upset of injuries and all the rest of the stuff that’s happened during the week, the boys have done great to come together and put in a performance like they did.”

Despite ultimately coming up short, Orford believes Bradford’s performance in adversity against the Challenge Cup holders bodes well for their chances of making a strong play-off charge.

“We’ve got a lot of self-belief that we can do something in these competitions,” he said.

“We just need to prove it now, go on with the Super League and try and stay in this finals campaign. That’s our main focus now.

“I said from the start that this comp’s going to be very tight. It’s there to be taken and we’re very positive.”

Comments(21)

rugbyguru says...
8:06am Tue 1 Jun 10

They’re complete rumours. I’m still here for another couple of years and I’m still enjoying itok now this is cleared up lets get on with it. orford could be instrumental element in luring a top aussie coach to the Bulls.

Report this post »

rugbyguru says...
8:17am Tue 1 Jun 10

good that this is now resolved. orford could be instrumental element in luring a top aussie. also we now need the players who can support orford because hes a clever player who cant do it by himself.

Report this post »

rugbyguru says...
8:22am Tue 1 Jun 10

i missed the word 'coach' from above. sorry having a bad day.

Report this post »

Prycey says...
8:32am Tue 1 Jun 10

Good to see Orford come out and say he is staying. I heard from inside the club he was struggling to settle but I hope that he has now sorted this out and he does stay as he is a quality player. We now need to get some more quality around him or his talents may be wasted in the three years he is here. He can’t do it all by himself. I am hoping that he can bring on Southernwood as he looks like the type of player that Matt needs with him. He has speed off the mark to go with Orford’s guile. Southernwood may still need some time to get the stamina, strength and experience to help keep him out of trouble due to his small stature. Size doesn’t matter if you have a good rugby head on your shoulders. At 17 he may not quite have that experience right now but it shouldn’t take long to learn off Orford and Kearney. You don’t get any better teachers than those two!

Report this post »

THEMANOFSTEEL says...
8:48am Tue 1 Jun 10

im fully proud of the lads after Sundays performance, as soon as Warrington went over twice for those easy trys i thought oh no not again but they battled back really hard.
After finding out that we had 8 1st team players fit on thursday and Orford declared 5% fit it made me think that Warrington were poor not to beat us by more!
Feel sorry for Donaldson but i really do wish he had kept hold of the ball lol
Never mind!!!
Come on Bradford if we are fully fit this week then i feel sorry for Huddersfield!!!

Report this post »

BBARL6 says...
9:17am Tue 1 Jun 10

If this is true re Orford wanting to stay then that is good news for the bulls. We just now need a new coach who can bring some attacking ideas with him as this current team has very little skill and very poor plays when we have ball in hand.
Affraid 5 one man drives and a poor kick is not going to get you over the winning line no matter how much guts, determination and commitment you show.

Report this post »

Far Away says...
11:38am Tue 1 Jun 10

Well said, BBARL6, and who is it that should be coaching the team away from 5 one-man drives? Why, none other than McNamara. If we can get a first class, experienced coach for the rest of the season then we can shove McNamara off to England full time, he can coach all the England players from the top Superleague sides and make them no better than the majority of our players and lo and behold, we could win the Grand Final on an even footing!!!

Report this post »

haitch says...
11:58am Tue 1 Jun 10

Straight from the horses mouth (or Ox,s mouth!) Lets hope that ends these silly comments designed by the Aussie press to unsettle him and lure him away. No chance mates!!!!
There is a nucleus of a good team out there and yes, Macca is to be credited with some of it and Menzies most of it I'd guess. A new coach with fresh ideas can indeed make this into a good side and quickly, so plenty to look forward to IMO.
Get a proper S/O with Orford and at least a couple of specialist 3/4's and hey presto, this team can compete. With the big boys!!

Report this post »

kennyr13 says...
2:55pm Tue 1 Jun 10

I noticed Smith has had a dig at "Smallbrain" I notice the Touch Judges never got a mention. Well Mr. Smith. You should think your self fortunate as every drop out Briers kicked on Sunday was 3 feet inside the field of play. Obviously this rule isn't important. This year I've noticed more than ever that forward passes are being ignored, this has to be sorted out, if the TJ are not calling them what is the point of having them especially during televised games!! Can any body name the player's who's contracts are up at the end of this season!!

Report this post »

pjbull says...
3:48pm Tue 1 Jun 10

I've got mixed feelings tbh. Kearney and L'Estrange have had much bigger impacts than Orford. So far, we are paying £280k a year for a player who picks it up and throws it 5 yards - I'm sure there are others out there who would cost a lot less. If he'd gone it would have freed up money to pay for 2/3 other higher quality players in areas that we are desperately short in.

Report this post »

Reading Bullette says...
4:32pm Tue 1 Jun 10

pjbull wrote:
I've got mixed feelings tbh. Kearney and L'Estrange have had much bigger impacts than Orford. So far, we are paying £280k a year for a player who picks it up and throws it 5 yards - I'm sure there are others out there who would cost a lot less. If he'd gone it would have freed up money to pay for 2/3 other higher quality players in areas that we are desperately short in.
Where on earth have you plucked that figure from? Don't believe everything you read in papers. Remember Dave Craven writes a lot of the garbage.

Report this post »

pjbull says...
4:50pm Tue 1 Jun 10

Reading, the £840K 3 year deal was widely reported at the time he signed, both here (in the national papers) and in the Aussie press. Check it for yourself.

Report this post »

O ye of little faith says...
5:57pm Tue 1 Jun 10

Glad that Matty Orford is staying lets hope we concentrate on getting him and others to full fitness.With a full complement plus some our young players coming through I think we are as good as any team when we get it right.Dont always agree with kenny gr but he is spot on regarding Briers drop-outs and forward passes I feel that the touch judges are half the problem with referees poor decision making.Maybe it is time to follow the Aussies two refs it certainley has cleaned up the game down under,mind you where will we get two good refs here at each game,still I think the RFL should give it some thought.

Report this post »

haitch says...
6:01pm Tue 1 Jun 10

pjbull wrote:
Reading, the £840K 3 year deal was widely reported at the time he signed, both here (in the national papers) and in the Aussie press. Check it for yourself.
pj, I think if you watch, Orford passes to who's available which, with this Bulls side is often not so many. This guy did not Get the DallyM or be made captain of the great Manly Champ side, ahead of Beaver & co by "passing 5 yards. Neither did he get acclaimed as the best scrum half 'never to have represented his country' for that reason.
Yes he is a little long in the tooth but watch him when his team mates know where to run.
You are entitled to your opinion of course, but there is a possie of brilliant RL brains, who I respectfully suggest know much more about the game than you, or I, who rate Ox as one of the finest Aussie S/H's ever.

Report this post »

haitch says...
6:06pm Tue 1 Jun 10

O ye of little faith wrote:
Glad that Matty Orford is staying lets hope we concentrate on getting him and others to full fitness.With a full complement plus some our young players coming through I think we are as good as any team when we get it right.Dont always agree with kenny gr but he is spot on regarding Briers drop-outs and forward passes I feel that the touch judges are half the problem with referees poor decision making.Maybe it is time to follow the Aussies two refs it certainley has cleaned up the game down under,mind you where will we get two good refs here at each game,still I think the RFL should give it some thought.
I too saw that. He wasn't just a couple of feet but way over a mtr., at times. Don't know about the two ref system. With English ref's it would probably be just TWICE AS BAD!!

Report this post »

pjbull says...
7:21pm Tue 1 Jun 10

Haitch, I would not doubt his ability for a minute, but as I have said on a previous post, because there aren't enough quality players around him, he is being wasted. If we're not seeing the best of him, then I wouldn't be disappointed if he left. If you read my posts Haitch, you'll know I rate the NRL way above Super League, so I am not going to say that the player rated as "the best player never to be capped" is not quality..... but I am saying that after half the season, we have only seen that quality for 40 mins (against Wigan) and that is not money well spent.

Report this post »

haitch says...
10:45pm Tue 1 Jun 10

pjbull wrote:
Haitch, I would not doubt his ability for a minute, but as I have said on a previous post, because there aren't enough quality players around him, he is being wasted. If we're not seeing the best of him, then I wouldn't be disappointed if he left. If you read my posts Haitch, you'll know I rate the NRL way above Super League, so I am not going to say that the player rated as "the best player never to be capped" is not quality..... but I am saying that after half the season, we have only seen that quality for 40 mins (against Wigan) and that is not money well spent.
pj I see where you are heading with this now. Well I would certainly not want him to go. He is the king pin around which this team can be built IMO and I believe a new coach may start by making him Captain.
I do see this side as having potential. Three or four of the current squad need replacing with more quality and the kids coming along are exciting.
Burgess's, Addy Southernwood and Wardle are all knocking on the door.
There is so much for the new coach to get his teeth into. Lets hope for the best, the next few months are crucial.

Report this post »

kennyr13 says...
11:45pm Tue 1 Jun 10

O. Y Little Faith, i didn't realise i was that "Contraversial" Ok i admit i get a bit over exited from time to time! I'm very passionate about my team.
Some of the posts today are a good read. Like the look of Wardle what i saw of him.

Report this post »

kennyr13 says...
11:48pm Tue 1 Jun 10

Whoops! Controversial

Report this post »

Tricky Dicky says...
2:17am Wed 2 Jun 10

Well, this wasn't an instant rebuttal and no doubt the press release was arranged by his agent. Personally, I think he'll see out the season and, especially if Beaver is given the elbow, he'll be gone before the snow settles on Queensbury.
Orford's comment that the team can now concentrate on making the play-offs is a little bit disconcerting! It's the top 8 who qualify so is he implying that we could possibly slip below Quins, Crusaders, Castleford, Salford, the Dragons and Wakefield? We WILL make the top 8, it's how far we go that is the question.
I see that Saints are after Meninga so does that mean the Bulls are after Ricky Stuart or Craig Bellamy?

Report this post »

Topgearman says...
11:18pm Wed 2 Jun 10

Prycey wrote:
Good to see Orford come out and say he is staying. I heard from inside the club he was struggling to settle but I hope that he has now sorted this out and he does stay as he is a quality player. We now need to get some more quality around him or his talents may be wasted in the three years he is here. He can’t do it all by himself. I am hoping that he can bring on Southernwood as he looks like the type of player that Matt needs with him. He has speed off the mark to go with Orford’s guile. Southernwood may still need some time to get the stamina, strength and experience to help keep him out of trouble due to his small stature. Size doesn’t matter if you have a good rugby head on your shoulders. At 17 he may not quite have that experience right now but it shouldn’t take long to learn off Orford and Kearney. You don’t get any better teachers than those two!
Your sources "within the club" are obviously the lasses down at the laundrette that wash the kit!! Totally wrong with your prior knowlege. I get bored of hearing what people know because their aunties cat sitter once bumped into an accademy player and they told her that russel crowe was taking over the club etc etc

Report this post »

click2find

Get Adobe Flash player
About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree