Lee St Hilaire has paid tribute to his wife Debbie after being reinstated as assistant Bulls coach.

St Hilaire and the rest of the coaching staff worked for over two months without pay after being made redundant by administrator Brendan Guilfoyle on July 2.

Following Francis Cummins’ elevation to head coach in the wake of Mick Potter’s departure, St Hilaire has returned on a one-year deal.

But he was quick to acknowledge the support from his other half after she worked extra hours to help make ends meet while he worked for nothing at Odsal .

St Hilaire said: “It was a tough period and the support we received from the fans and from BullBuilder was very much appreciated.

“My wife Debbie had to put up with a grumpy old fella coming home every day.

“It got very tough, to the point where my wife was doing extra shifts because she was worried.

“I need to thank her and I’d also like to thank Mick for the opportunity he gave me to work as his assistant.

“He told me I stood tall this year and I’d like to wish him all the best for whatever he chooses to do next.”

St Hilaire joined the Bulls as assistant to Steve McNamara in 2006 and is now looking forward to working under Cummins.

“Franny and I have worked together for a couple of years under Mick and we get on really well,” he said.

“We’ve both worked under Tony Smith; me at Huddersfield and then Franny did at Leeds, so we are from the Tony Smith/Brian Smith stable of coaching.

“It’s about having the core skills to coach players and make them better people.

“I’ve been an assistant coach in Super League since 2001 and I’m looking forward to the challenge at Bradford next year.

“Franny and I have already had a few good conversations about putting things in place.”

Meanwhile, Cummins has promoted Tom Clough and made him the Bulls’ new conditioner following the departure of Geoff Evans.

Clough, 29, who has signed a three-year deal, has spent the past two years working with the Under-20 and Under-18 Academy players and Under-16 and Under-15 Scholars.