DANNY Addy can vividly recall the sinking feeling which hit him like a tonne of bricks at the end of last season’s defeat at Huddersfield.

The Bulls’ relegation had just been confirmed with six games of the season still remaining and raw emotion dripped from Jimmy Lowes’ players.

Few felt the pain more than Addy, who had progressed through the ranks at Odsal and struggled to hide his feelings at the final hooter.

“I was crying my eyes out on the pitch,” remembered Addy.

“Yes, there were pictures of me in tears at the end and I was a bit embarrassed about that but it showed how much this club means to me.

“No-one wants to get relegated and I hope I never experience that feeling again.

“This club has been a big part of my life for a number of years now and it’s like a family to me.

“I have one goal and that’s to get us back where we belong, so every member of the squad is going to do their best to achieve that.

“Once you’ve been a part of something massive, like Bradford has been for years, and then you think ‘I’ve been in a team that’s been relegated’, it just makes you determined to get back up.

“We’ve been through a lot with two spells in administration but that just made us tighter as a bunch of blokes and brought us closer together.

“Hopefully this period in the club’s history will prove to be just a little dip and we can get back up and be a successful team in Super League again.”

Luke Gale and James Donaldson set about securing moves to Super League clubs last year, following in the footsteps of Elliott Whitehead and John Bateman who had already jumped ship before the disastrous 2014 campaign.

Gale has enjoyed an outstanding season for Castleford, Donaldson will play for Hull KR in the Challenge Cup final on Saturday, while Whitehead and Bateman should represent England against New Zealand at the end of the season.

Does Addy ever look at his contemporaries and think that could have been him?

“I’m just made up for them all, especially Elliott going to Canberra because it’s a massive opportunity for him,” said Addy.

“Curtis Naughton is also doing really well at Hull and fair play to these guys because they have taken their opportunities superbly.

“They’re all big mates of mine, so I’m really happy for them and at Bradford we’ve got so much confidence that we will be back in Super League next year too.”

Addy has been a coach’s dream in recent seasons with his utility value seeing him play second row, loose forward, hooker, half-back, centre and even prop.

But it is at half-back where he has really shone this season following lengthy absences for Harry Siejka and Lee Gaskell.

Lowes has been telling anyone who would listen that Addy is not only capable of playing there, but doing a very good job.

Indeed, the Bulls boss even suggested that of all the English players attracting interest from NRL clubs, Addy should be near the top of their list.

Asked whether half-back was now his primary position, the Pontefract lad said with a huge smile: “Yes. I’ve been there long enough now to know what I’m doing.

“A lot of people say that I’m out of position but that’s my position at the minute.

“I’m just trying to learn more and more at half-back each week and start adapting to the position while I’m needed there.

“I like to get my hands on the ball as much as I can and I like to play and get a bit of a free rein. I’ve got that in this team and I’m starting to play like a half-back now.”

Perhaps the most uplifting moment of the season so far was the sight of Addy supporting Tom Olbison’s break to score a scintillating try in Sunday’s demolition of Salford.

Here were two close friends who had come through the ranks together combining to score the kind of try that would have graced any Super League game.

Addy said: “For Olby to set me up like that was great and we’ve been mates for a long time.

“Hopefully we can get some good bonding going because we’ve had the same team on the right side for a while now and we pair up well.

“It’s big when homegrown players come through the ranks and do well.

“You look at players like Alex Mellor, who was back on Sunday and did a really good job.

“It’s good for the young lads to come through and be a big part of what we’re trying to achieve.

“It was an awesome win and so important as well after what happened against Wakefield.

“We knew we were much better than that and I think we showed it on Sunday against Salford.

“We showed some real class at times and that’s where we want to be – producing those kind of performances against Super League sides.

“It was just good to get that winning feeling and singing that victory song afterwards was just class. We need to back it up against Widnes now.”

Addy is likely to represent Scotland in the European Championship at the end of the season as the Bravehearts seek to defend their title before next year’s Four Nations campaign against England, Ausatralia and New Zealand.

He added: “I’ve gone a few years without a break but I want to get my foot in the door ahead of the Four Nations next year. I want to play as many games as I can.”