Bradford Hall of Fame: Bradford Bulls special

This is the tenth part of a regular series with the latest five inductees into who would be named in a Bradford Hall of Fame, and this week it is a Bradford Bulls special.

They can be people who were either born in the Bradford district, or made a huge name with an association to the city.

Each of these players has left their mark on the Bradford Bulls and Bradford Northern club, helping the Odsal club to major success and raising the profile of the city, it’s team and the sport of rugby league.

Why not leave your own suggestions in the comments section below, as you have done in previous weeks.

JAMES LOWES

Jimmy Lowes moved to Bradford from arch rivals Leeds in 1996, and went on to enjoy unprecedented success in Bulls colours during his career.

Making more than 230 appearances for Bradford between 1996 and 2003, Lowes was a leader from the hooking role and enjoyed his finest form while at the club. In his first season at Odsal he was named Man of Steel as the best player in the British game, and also earned his first international call up.

In all, Lowes led the Bulls to four Super League Grand finals, winning two of them, and three Challenge Cup finals, winning two of those too. He also captained the Bulls to World Club Challenge victory in 2002. After retiring as a Super League champion and treble winner with the Bulls in 2003, Lowes also coached the Bulls from 2014-2016, narrowly missing out on gaining promotion in the 2016 Million Pound Game.

LEON PRYCE

Born and bred in Bradford, it was Leon Pryce’s boyhood dream to play for the Bulls. One of the most naturally gifted and versatile players of his generation, Pryce spent nine seasons at Odsal and won it all with his hometown club.

He won three Super League Grand Finals, two Challenge Cups and two World Club Challenges in Bulls colours, winning the Harry Sunderland Man of the Match award in the 2005 Grand Final, his last match in Bulls colours before a move to St Helens. Pryce was also a part of the famous Treble winning team of 2003.

Pryce also won several caps for England and Great Britain while at the Bulls. He returned to Bradford in 2017, aged 36, and retired while playing for his hometown club after a glittering career. Pryce is one of the finest rugby league players to come out of Bradford in the last 25 years.

AMY HARDCASTLE

The former Bradford Bulls Women captain, Hardcastle was a star for the Bulls in the fledgling women’s game.

The 31-year-old flyer was a key figure for several years as the Bulls women dominated the women’s game, including leading Bradford to a famous treble of the league, cup, and Grand Final in 2017.

She has also made 17 appearances for England Women, scoring 14 tries, and is set to appear in her third Rugby League World Cup next year. Hardcastle was also the only English player to be honoured by the Australian National Rugby League in its Women’s Team of the Decade.

As well as excelling on the rugby field, Hardcastle has been on the frontline of fighting Covid-19 this year in her day job in the NHS. She now plies her trade at St Helens, but her impact on the women’s game in Bradford and in England has been enormous.

ROBBIE HUNTER-PAUL

Born in New Zealand, Robbie Hunter-Paul is an adopted Bradfordian after his brilliant spell at the Bulls at the turn of the century.

Playing more than 240 games in a ten-season spell at Odsal scoring an incredible 224 tries, Paul lit up the English game with his flashy footwork and incredible ball skills after arriving in the city aged just 18.

Two years later he was made captain, and went on to play a leading role for the Bulls amassing a healthy trophy cabinet including three Grand Finals, two Challenge Cups and two World Club Challenges, including man of the match and player of the season trophies. Like Lowes and Pryce, he was part of the 2003 Treble-winning squad.

He was named in the Bulls Team of the Century, Millennium Masters and Bulls Masters, one of just six players to make all three lists. He also represented New Zealand almost 30 times while at the Bulls.

Since his retirement, Hunter-Paul has been involved in the running of the club at Odsal and is also a regular on BBC coverage of rugby league.

ELLERY HANLEY MBE

One of the greatest British rugby league players in the history of the sport, Ellery Hanley burst on the scene as a 17-year-old for Bradford Northern in 1978. He spent seven seasons at Northern, in which time he grew into the best and most dominant player in the league at the time.

After scoring on his debut, he came into his own in the early 80s after turning 20, taking the game by storm all while switching between the stand-off, centre, and wing positions. He played almost 130 games for the club scoring 89 tries, and in his final season at Odsal became the first player since the 1920s to score 50 tries in a season.

He was named Man of Steel in his final season at Odsal before making a big money move to Wigan, where he went on to cement his greatness, and also spent spells playing in Australia, proving his ability in both hemispheres and earning the respect of those Down Under.

Hanley made 34 appearances for Great Britain and captained his country, and in 1990 was awarded an MBE by the Queen for his services to rugby league.

Those already inducted are: Gareth Gates, Andrea Dunbar, Steve Abbott, Duncan Preston, Tim Booth, Ces Podd, Jim Laker, Gary Havelock, Dean Harrison, Bobby Vanzie, Dean Richards, Rudi Leavor, Kiki Dee, Professor Mahendra Patel, John Wood, Marsha Singh, Chris Kamara, Trevor Foster, Barbara Castle, Tino Valdi, Adrian Moorhouse, Tasmin Archer, Dynamo, Timothy West, Javed Bashir, Fattorini Family, Ade Edmondson, Sir Ken Morrison, Ruby Bhatti, Adil Rashid, JB Priestley, Zayn Malik, Sarah Khan Bashir, Captain Sir Tom Moore, Margaret McMillan, Stuart McCall, David Hockney, Brian Noble, Sharon Beshenivsky, Jack Tordoff, Dave Whelan, Frederick Delius, Harry Corbett, Professor Ajay Mahajan, Professor David Sharpe.