Bulls head coach Steve McNamara expressed relief at learning Craig Kopczak has not broken his leg.

Medical staff had feared the worst for the big prop when he was stretchered off during the first half of Bradford’s final pre-season trial at Hull KR on Thursday.

But X-rays did not reveal a fracture and McNamara is hopeful Kopczak will not spend significant time on the sidelines.

The news is a big boost for Bulls, who need as many bodies as they can get in the front row, with Danny Sculthorpe already set to miss the start of the season with a back problem.

Kopczak had only just returned to full fitness following a knee ligament inj-ury and will be keen to get back out on the field after a promising pre-season.

McNamara said: “It’s great news that he’s not suffered a break. We’ll monitor him over the next 48 hours and do tests to see what the situation is.

“Hopefully, he won’t spend too much time out, although you can never be too sure.”

Kopczak’s injury was the only sour note on a positive evening at Craven Park.

Star signing Matt Orford stole all the headlines with a controlled and creative display on his debut, the Aussie scrum half playing a part in all three tries in an 18-16 win.

And Orford was pleased with how he settled in after a sluggish opening.

He said: “We got off to a little bit of a slow start. They had plenty of ball and we gave plenty of penalties away and made a few errors.

“But once we got ourselves sorted and I got into the groove, it wasn’t too bad. We got a couple of back-to-back sets, built a bit of pressure and we looked okay.

“I think we’re only going to get better and there were some positive signs out there.

“There were some things I could’ve done better but, overall, I was happy with my first hit-out.

“Timing and a few other things are going to get better. With the short preparation we had, I felt we did pretty good.”

The 31-year-old former Manly star had no qualms stepping straight into a key leadership and play-making role.

“I feel fine with that,” said Orford.

“The boys have been great and the coaching staff have been really good. I’ve been working really hard in training so I can get all the calls down and the combinations.

“During that second half, we showed we could build some pressure and grind out those scrappy runs.

“We got away with it a bit there with them missing that kick but we’ll take the win.”