FORMER players Kirsty Moroney and Beth Sutcliffe have been appointed as joint head coaches of the Bradford Bulls Women’s team.

The pair retired at the end of the 2018 season having been a key part of the history making 2017 squad, going undefeated for the full year en-route to the Challenge Cup, League Leaders Shield and Super League trophies.

Moroney spent her entire career playing in Bradford is delighted to have been given the platform to take the Bulls Women’s team forward.

She said: “It’s a massive opportunity for us both and it’s something we are really honoured to accept.

"It’s been in the pipeline for a few weeks, but now it’s confirmed we can’t wait to get started.

“We knew Mark Prescott was stepping down around halfway through last season, so from there we took an interest in the role having already spoken about this being our last season as players.

"The chance to be joint head coaches arrived sooner than we expected, but we are so excited to see what it brings.

“We want to instil that professional environment among the girls.

"The Women’s Super League is only going to get bigger and it’s fantastic, so we need to get that message across to the girls straight away.”

Sutcliffe echoed the need for professionalism throughout the team if they are to get back to the heights of 2017, something she believes the duo can bring with their experience.

“Both of us have had the honour of representing our countries and have been in the environment where that professionalism, commitment and structure has made an impression on us,” she said.

“It teaches you what it takes to be a top-level player and we want to pass that on to the girls at Bradford.

"We see so much talent coming through and to get the best out of them is a challenge we are really excited about.

“We’ve sat down with a very comprehensive plan about what we want over the next few years and we feel we know what it takes to be a very successful Super League team.

“Last season’s struggles taught us a lot. We didn’t have much of a pre-season, so fitness standards weren’t great, we were complacent perhaps.

"So, we know what we did wrong and so can start early this season to avoid them mistakes.”

Sutcliffe believes the Bulls set-up is also crucial for promoting the game to young girls in the area.

She said: “The facilities at Bradford are the best anywhere in the country, so we must utilise them effectively.

“Building that recruitment pathway through the Bulls is going to be key and we’re making it a priority to give young girls a chance in rugby league and be part of Bradford Bulls.”

Not only will the duo be leading the Women’s charge in Super League next year, they will be assisting the Scholarship outfit and passing on their wealth of knowledge.

Head of Youth John Bastian added: “It’s great to have them involved as well. Myself and Russ Macfarlane spent a good couple of hours with them last week and it was really interesting. They were really positive and full of energy for advancing in coaching.

“We thought it would be great for them to join our scholarship scheme, work alongside Mark Dunning and Mike Piper, who will certainly help them to progress their skills in coaching.

“Working with the Scholarship week in week out will certainly help their progress.

“Our system and pathway can support Kirsty and Beth and the ladies game, but I also think they can bring some energy to us.

“I haven’t worked with ladies in a coaching capacity in any of the systems I’ve been involved in and it is something that I’m really looking forward to doing.

“I think it terrific for the game. They will both be fully focused on the ladies’ team but being involved in the scholarship also gives them an opportunity to develop on our pathway as well, they have got lots of opportunities.”