8:30am Thursday 9th September 2010
By Connor Murphy
Few of us would turn our noses up at the chance of an extended holiday.
But as the Bulls clock off early for a second year running, players and staff are left pining for a return to work.
Time for rest and recuperation is always welcome after another long season but not when the Super League play-offs have yet to even kick off. Watching another year of post-season action from the comfort of the couch will prove a painful experience for everyone with tendencies towards red, amber and black.
That results this season are unacceptable is a fact as clear as day. Attempting to put a finger on where it all went wrong is when it starts to get murky.
Overnight, a promising campaign appeared to catastrophically implode but, rather than one spark lighting the fuse, a number of factors combined to create a volatile mix.
In hindsight, the Bulls entered the season undermanned. A squad containing just 18 players over the age of 20 was always going to rely on good luck with injuries and placing your fortunes in the hands of fate is a dangerous game.
There were good reasons why Bradford scaled back on the playing budget for 2010 – investment in an impressive new training facility at Tong School being one of them – but ultimately they were far outweighed by the consequences.
Speculation in attracting one or two more players could have reaped financial reward through greater attendances, prize money and the exposure earned through play-off qualification – now, that much is obvious.
That said, the Bulls’ luck with injuries proved to be spectacularly bad.
When Steve McNamara’s side won 29-10 at Wakefield on May 14 without Matt Orford to move fourth in Super League, the extent of the talismanic half-back’s injury woes had not yet been truly revealed.
But after appearing in Bradford’s devastating 26-22 Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat against Warrington, the club’s marquee signing did not take the field again all season.
Without their field general, the Bulls lost 12 of their final 13 league games, eventually slumping to a tenth-place finish.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Orford was joined on the sidelines at various points by captaincy duo Andy Lynch and Jamie Langley, prop enforcer Nick Scruton and attacking sparkplug Brett Kearney.
The sheer toll of the walking wounded could not have been predicted, yet a failure to dip into the loan market, despite wiggle room beneath the salary cap, was probably short-sighted.
Coinciding with the carnage, boss McNamara decided to accept the England coaching job at the tail-end of April and even he later admitted splitting duties between the two roles proved more difficult than anticipated.
In the circumstances, McNamara’s premature departure following a 35-18 defeat at Harlequins – the Bulls’ eighth in a row – was almost inevitable, the situation hardly helped by the RFL’s timing of the national-team announcement.
Following his appointment as England chief, McNamara presided over nine defeats in his final 12 games, going out with a whimper, rather than the fanfare early-season form had suggested.
To their credit, the club have already taken drastic action to address the slide.
By attracting Mick Potter to the club, the board have a coach with outstanding knowledge of the game, not afraid to make unpopular decisions for the benefit of the team and not willing to take any nonsense from his players.
Fresh investment in the playing squad will also result in greater depth of talent out on the field, while the bold Pledge 10,000 ticket scheme is something every Bulls supporter should jump on board with.
A busy summer still lies ahead, with a resolution of the situation regarding Orford’s future a priority and at least two or three signings still to come, but the future promises much.
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