Bradford Bulls win race to sign Olivier Elima (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Bradford Bulls win race to sign Olivier Elima
7:00am Wednesday 8th September 2010 in
Olivier Elima is ready to spearhead a Bulls revival in 2011 after completing his much-anticipated switch from Catalans Dragons.
The France captain today became the fifth new arrival in a hectic fortnight after putting pen to paper on a two-year deal.
Despite interest from other Super League clubs, the 27-year-old back-rower was quick to plump for Bradford, citing the club’s vast potential as a major factor in his decision.
He is a strong runner and an uncompromising defender, attributes that we feel we need to compete at the highest level
Peter Hood
He said: “I had talked with the Dragons and what they were saying was not what I wanted to hear, so when the Bulls offer came up it was pretty clear that I would go there because it is a very good club.
“They haven’t been where they should be over the last couple of years but with a new coach and some new players we will get back to where we want to be.
“I had three good years in Perpignan but I’ve always said that I would be happy to go back to England at some point. Bradford are a big club and I’m excited about the move.”
An influential figure for Catalans over the past three years, Elima scored 27 tries in 60 Super League appearances for the Perpignan club.
But he was keen to return to West Yorkshire, having started his professional career at Castleford before spending five successful years at Wakefield.
A fluent English speaker, he will crucially not count towards the Bulls’ overseas quota in 2011, new rules meaning French players will be classed as federation-trained.
And the switch will see Elima reunited with former coach Mick Potter, having worked with the incoming Bulls boss during Catalans’ most successful Super League campaign in 2008, when they finished third.
Elima said: “I’ve only worked with him for a year but I understand his plans and the way he coaches and I think he will do a great job so that’s one of the reasons I have signed.
“He can do a lot with good players, both collectively and as individuals. He brings the best out of players.”
Bulls chairman Peter Hood added: “We are delighted that Olivier has joined us for the next two seasons. He is an international player of renown who will greatly improve our pack, both in attack and defence.
“He is a strong runner and an uncompromising defender, attributes that we feel we need to compete at the highest level.”
Comments(63)
VJ Man
says...
7:35am Wed 8 Sep 10
Just need to sort out the half backs now.......
bullsfan
says...
7:39am Wed 8 Sep 10
Next season will be far far better than the last 3 or 4.
Any way had my pleadge confirmed yesterday so thats me,the sister-in-law,the brother-in-law and his son all of us didint have season tickets last season.
So come on you BULLS roll on next season.
ste25bfc
says...
7:41am Wed 8 Sep 10
ste25bfc
says...
7:41am Wed 8 Sep 10
joevolcano
says...
7:41am Wed 8 Sep 10
Gumshoe
says...
8:09am Wed 8 Sep 10
Also when going to announce who leaving the club officially??
bullsfan
says...
8:22am Wed 8 Sep 10
Gumshoe wrote:I have a feeling we wont hear much about whos going till after the pledge deadline.
Great signing but not as a shock as we have all been aware for weeks, hope the next signing(s) have the wow factor!!
Also when going to announce who leaving the club officially??
Apt watch word wave-side we,ll be waving bye bye to some of the side in the next month or so.
obi wan kanobi
says...
8:28am Wed 8 Sep 10
spanglishbull.uk
says...
8:33am Wed 8 Sep 10
BrisBull
says...
8:41am Wed 8 Sep 10
On Orford - If you were trying to get 10,000 people to commit to next year, would you announce a negative without a positive to balance it?
I think for a change, the management are playing the PA game right.
Security words - leaf-talk.........le
t's leaf talk of Orford alone for the time being!
The J Man
says...
8:47am Wed 8 Sep 10
So thats 2 wingers, a centre & 2 forwards in the bag so we just need half backs now & we're starting to look a lot better.
We need a stand off & to sort the Orford situation out one way or the other...wud rather him go if his heart aint in returning to us as would free up plenty of money for a new signing...only player we've been linked with in the halves is Thackeray & he's going nowhere so gonna be a bit of a surprise is the next signing i think.
Just hope it aint Sam Obst as his name has cropped up recently!!!
theviking52
says...
8:51am Wed 8 Sep 10
haitch
says...
8:53am Wed 8 Sep 10
No surprise, but a good signing and yet another work horse added to the pack.
Now we need some icing on the cake in the form of a really top Stand off.
theviking52
says...
8:59am Wed 8 Sep 10
The J Man
says...
9:09am Wed 8 Sep 10
Presume Potter has decent contacts down under so maybe he can unearth a gem from reserve grade maybe?? We've tried the big name in Orford and that really hasnt worked (if he doesnt come back that is!!!) & look at someone like Dobson. Reserve grade most of the time in OZ & yet he's been in the SL Dream Team for the last 2 yrs. Shows they're out there so over to you Mr Potter!!
theviking52
says...
9:16am Wed 8 Sep 10
obi wan kanobi
says...
9:42am Wed 8 Sep 10
http://www.express.c
o.uk/posts/view/1801
50/Bradford-set-to-p
ick-Daly-Cherry-Evan
s-if-Matt-Orford-lea
ves
BRADFORD will make a move for Australian scrum-half Daly Cherry-Evans if Matt Orford decides to cut short his stay at Odsal.
Cherry-Adams, 21, is skipper of Manly’s feeder club the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles, who are coached by former Bradford player Brandon Costin.
Cherry-Adams was an understudy to Orford at Manly before he agreed a three-year deal with the Bulls at the end of last season.
But with Orford reportedly wanting to return to Australia, possibly before the signing deadline on June 30, Cherry-Evans may relish the chance of regular first-grade rugby in the Super League as a stepping-stone to NRL stardom.
The J Man
says...
9:55am Wed 8 Sep 10
Someone like that though may be the way forward for us if we can get a decent experienced 6 to play alongside him.
Him & Bosc would be ideal but cant see Catalans letting him go & think he's still in contract with them anyway??
theviking52
says...
9:56am Wed 8 Sep 10
Sheffieldbull
says...
9:56am Wed 8 Sep 10
obi wan kanobi wrote:10th June mate unless i very much mistaken!
This is in todays Express http://www.express.c o.uk/posts/view/1801 50/Bradford-set-to-p ick-Daly-Cherry-Evan s-if-Matt-Orford-lea ves BRADFORD will make a move for Australian scrum-half Daly Cherry-Evans if Matt Orford decides to cut short his stay at Odsal. Cherry-Adams, 21, is skipper of Manly’s feeder club the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles, who are coached by former Bradford player Brandon Costin. Cherry-Adams was an understudy to Orford at Manly before he agreed a three-year deal with the Bulls at the end of last season. But with Orford reportedly wanting to return to Australia, possibly before the signing deadline on June 30, Cherry-Evans may relish the chance of regular first-grade rugby in the Super League as a stepping-stone to NRL stardom.
Sheffieldbull
says...
10:01am Wed 8 Sep 10
obi wan kanobi
says...
10:17am Wed 8 Sep 10
Duckett
says...
10:21am Wed 8 Sep 10
HANLEY IS A LEGEND
says...
10:25am Wed 8 Sep 10
Scruton is the nearest player we have to hit the opposition with "passion".
I look at the situation over "Orford" like this.
Do we really want 32 year old half back who obviously doesnt want to come back?
Like everybody says , I would to look to the second grade of the NRL and get two hungry young blokes who want to be part of the Bulls new revolution!!
The quality over there is obviously a lot higher and we defiantly need some penetration from our half back next season.
Personally I have no qualms with our junior players who play in the pack.
I would go with a lighter back row with Donaldson , Whitehead and another young backrower.
I would clear the decks by getting rid of Hall,Godwin,Crookes,
Worreincy,sheffife ,
Readon, & Sculthorpe,who I doubt will play again?
My question is where we going to play Sykes, Halley,kearney,Platt etc.
Kearney is the best of the bunch ,but is best at fullback.To be fair to Platt he has got his head down and played quite steady this term.
Halley gone backwards do to playing out of position all the time by the last coach. Same could have been said about Readon, but he just lost interest in the end!!
Sykes is my biggest concern.Certainly cant play Standoff well.
His kicking off the ground is diabolical and his biggest problem he thinks he is a good player when he is average at the best...
Duckett
says...
10:29am Wed 8 Sep 10
ratters2
says...
10:53am Wed 8 Sep 10
haitch
says...
10:54am Wed 8 Sep 10
Duckett wrote:Thing is guys, the Bulls simply cannot afford to offload all of the average players they have and replace them with quality. It would be great if they could. I agree players such as Halley, Platt, Sykes are never going to set Odsal alight, but they are better than Sherriffe Reardon and Worrincy. So they have to make up their minds who to keep and who to offload. It's bound to be the case that one or two will be kept who many would like to see go but we need them just to make up squad numbers. The upside being, it's better to have the Likes of Platt, Halley, Sykes etc as your 'depth' than relying on too many raw youngsters.
Agree Hanley. If we want to go anywhere we need to clear out the players you mention plus Halley and Platt for that matter - they are not the future. Sykes agood squad player at best.
Sheffieldbull
says...
11:11am Wed 8 Sep 10
Adey
says...
11:13am Wed 8 Sep 10
Duckett wrote:Why do we need a 9? We have a 9, we have two 9's! Frankly, Hooker is by far the least of our worries if Orford gets his transfer. All the signings in the world aren't going to do anything without a 6 & 7. OK, Kearney can slot in at 6 (no, it's not his best position, but it could be that we have no choice!) but we need (and by that I mean NEED!) a specialised scrum-half. Even if it's a 23-year old lad playing reserve grade for the NRL. No offence, but thats where Mick Dobson came from and he's just made the dream team...no big names, no ego or flashy medals...we just need a good, all-round half back.
What a surprise! At least we can now announce the Ox leaving and get it out of the way. Pledges not increased according to website and still need halves and 9 sorting.
haitch
says...
11:55am Wed 8 Sep 10
Adey wrote:I agree with you Adey on this one and it needs to be specialist scrum half AND standoff. Of course we have a specialist scrum half in Orford at present.
Duckett wrote: What a surprise! At least we can now announce the Ox leaving and get it out of the way. Pledges not increased according to website and still need halves and 9 sorting.Why do we need a 9? We have a 9, we have two 9's! Frankly, Hooker is by far the least of our worries if Orford gets his transfer. All the signings in the world aren't going to do anything without a 6 & 7. OK, Kearney can slot in at 6 (no, it's not his best position, but it could be that we have no choice!) but we need (and by that I mean NEED!) a specialised scrum-half. Even if it's a 23-year old lad playing reserve grade for the NRL. No offence, but thats where Mick Dobson came from and he's just made the dream team...no big names, no ego or flashy medals...we just need a good, all-round half back.
I also think LStrange is fine at 9. They just need to stop using him out of position.
HANLEY IS A LEGEND
says...
11:59am Wed 8 Sep 10
The rest is about opinions and that is what it is all about?
We all know that we need two new proper half-backs to compete with the big boys.
My point about hooker is that all the good teams have hookers who can play like a second scrum half and scoot from dummy half.Godwin tries hard but lacks the yard of pace needed at the top level.if it was for grinning like "a Cheshire Cat"he would be best player in the world.
One point of note there is big plans for young O'brien in the reserves.
I know Rome was'nt built in a day but I still think we need a "enforcer" to drive the team forward when the backs are against the wall!!
Mick De Bull
says...
12:00pm Wed 8 Sep 10
joevolcano
says...
12:26pm Wed 8 Sep 10
L'Estrange is a solid 9, he's been unfortunate to have been moved about this year and his kicking game isn't too bad to say he's a hooker.
Hall has been a huge disappointment but in his second season we may see a difference as it takes some players time to settle in. Seems odd that he was dropped into the reserves after only a dozen games. Gonna have to get his fitness levels up though.
Halley has gone backwards in my opinion, Yes he has lots of pace but he never beats his man and hardly ever gets near the try line in support.
Worrincy is poor and wouldn't get a game at any other SL club.
spanglishbull.uk
says...
12:28pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Elima will not take any prisoners believe me.
sid the sexist
says...
1:51pm Wed 8 Sep 10
theviking52
says...
1:53pm Wed 8 Sep 10
haitch
says...
2:21pm Wed 8 Sep 10
HANLEY IS A LEGEND
says...
2:22pm Wed 8 Sep 10
None took a backward step.
And who is the driving force behind the "groiners " when ther up against it .
The one only "Jamie Peacock".
HANLEY IS A LEGEND
says...
2:28pm Wed 8 Sep 10
spanglishbull.uk wrote:I was thinking of across between Les Boyd, Big Joe and Gordon Talis.
Hanley, Elima will not take any prisoners believe me.
Elima is ok , he is not in the top bracket!!
spanglishbull.uk
says...
2:44pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Duckett
says...
3:19pm Wed 8 Sep 10
flashdonut
says...
3:38pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Duckett wrote:I still get 'FAIRBANK' and '21' put on the back of my shirts. Koncrete Karl. A real Odsal legend - and he didn't want a testimonial, he said he earned enough from the game.
Ah.. Karl, now there's a tough bloke and we've always had 'em in our best teams. Until recently never short of enforcers. Elima? Sorry not in same street as Fairbank or for that matter Casey, Hobbs, Skerrett, McDermott or Vagana. To be fair, none of the other current teams have 'em either
.
Fantastic servant.
ratters2
says...
3:49pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Duckett wrote:Add Jimmy Thompson to the list of enforcers that have graced Odsal.
Ah.. Karl, now there's a tough bloke and we've always had 'em in our best teams. Until recently never short of enforcers. Elima? Sorry not in same street as Fairbank or for that matter Casey, Hobbs, Skerrett, McDermott or Vagana. To be fair, none of the other current teams have 'em either
ratters2
says...
4:04pm Wed 8 Sep 10
theviking52
says...
4:06pm Wed 8 Sep 10
those names mentioned are all in this catergory. along with david hill, lesley vainikolo, paul anderson, bernie dwyer, jeff grayshon and a 2nd rower from dewsbury way, scored tries, ran straight for line no deviations(not big jeff), colin forsyth. plus apart from les, there must have been some more backs that meet the criteria.
theviking52
says...
4:17pm Wed 8 Sep 10
.Manly are set to lose Ben Farrar next year, with the outside back expected to join French club Catalans Dragons this week. plus they've signed scrum half scott dureau from newcastle knights.
fresh of the press from oz, looks like bosc is off somewhere. plus brent sherwin. scrum half. odsal bound????
haitch
says...
4:19pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Duckett wrote:Too right Ducket. I suppose Big Sam was as near as we got in recent times. I wonder if the game is as hard as it used to be? Watch any archive game and they would never get away with those tackles and facials etc these days. I think the professional game has taken a real leaf out of the soccer book, with 'diving' and faking injury and the refs are far more involved than they ever used to be, blowing up for the slightest contact. Has it improved it? it's a matter of opinion.
Ah.. Karl, now there's a tough bloke and we've always had 'em in our best teams. Until recently never short of enforcers. Elima? Sorry not in same street as Fairbank or for that matter Casey, Hobbs, Skerrett, McDermott or Vagana. To be fair, none of the other current teams have 'em either
Sheffieldbull
says...
4:20pm Wed 8 Sep 10
haitch
says...
4:22pm Wed 8 Sep 10
theviking52 wrote:Rumour has it there will be no more rumours on this site....but I don't believe a word of it!!
Farrar on move September 9, 2010 .Manly are set to lose Ben Farrar next year, with the outside back expected to join French club Catalans Dragons this week. plus they've signed scrum half scott dureau from newcastle knights. fresh of the press from oz, looks like bosc is off somewhere. plus brent sherwin. scrum half. odsal bound????
Sheffieldbull
says...
4:28pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Sheffieldbull wrote:mmmmmmm..... i wonder! Might there be a new French Connection...
Bosc would certainly solve the Stand-off and goal kicking problems we have- oh well, I can wish eh!
theviking52
says...
4:29pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Baaa
says...
4:29pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Duckett wrote:Perhaps Halley had a disappointing season because his father died of cancer during the season!
Agree Hanley. If we want to go anywhere we need to clear out the players you mention plus Halley and Platt for that matter - they are not the future. Sykes agood squad player at best.
A lot of blogs on here are pure conjecture and not based on all the facts (eg personal tradegies, players carrying injuries etc) and never will be, as arm chair critics
theviking52
says...
4:34pm Wed 8 Sep 10
theviking52
says...
4:36pm Wed 8 Sep 10
HANLEY IS A LEGEND
says...
4:41pm Wed 8 Sep 10
One of the best dust ups was when "Fairbanks" put "Jimmy" in his place at valley parade.
Leagueman
says...
4:45pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Agree with a few of the others also regarding Orford, to be honest I don't see any point in worrying about a 32 year old who's lost his pace (wish I wasn't here) scrum half. Let him stay in Aus. if thats what he wants I would rather see a young hungry fighter being brought in from somewhere (and this is where the coaches experience, contacts, guile and knowledge comes in) to replace the player. Stand off is different it requires a player with the ability to read a game and see opporunities that ordinary players don't see as quickly.
Maybe with a good fast halfback partner B.K. could fit the bill, Potter will have his own idea regarding this.
But things are looking up now as far as some good promising young replacements for the mediocre quality of players and play we have been served up these past few years.
All the best to Menzies for his future ,he is a living legend and his achievements will take some beating (not at the Bulls I hasten to add).
theviking52
says...
5:42pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Bulls captain Andy Lynch and team-mates Jamie Langley, Nick Scruton and Paul Sykes are among 10 players selected from the Engage Super League clubs who failed to make the play-offs.
col 64
says...
6:43pm Wed 8 Sep 10
theviking52 wrote:i seem to remember posting on here last week that a daily paper had linked the bulls with two dragons players.one was elima the other was bosc, and nobody commented.ah well !!
too true haitch, came as a shock re the two moves from aus to les cats, heard r*****r re bosc, from mate in sydney, info re farah etc, on syd telegraph site.
theviking52
says...
7:25pm Wed 8 Sep 10
col 64
says...
7:41pm Wed 8 Sep 10
theviking52 wrote:it was my daughter saw it in one of the papers a while back, she seems to think it was the daily mail
col 64, what paper would that be, as i didn't read your post. i mentioned bosc earlier as well, also he was linked to a move to french r u. this info, was for me, confirmed tomorrow, aus time 9/09/10, in syd telegraph. see my earlier post.
theviking52
says...
7:49pm Wed 8 Sep 10
holmewood bull
says...
8:05pm Wed 8 Sep 10
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mumbyfan says...
7:11am Wed 8 Sep 10
Right whos next?
Lockyer?