Michael Lawrence buzzing for Bradford Bulls challenge

The 32-year-old, who featured for Jamaica in this year’s Rugby League World Cup, made over 300 appearances in the Claret and Gold having made his debut in 2007 at the John Smith’s Stadium, and he arrived through the doors at Odsal as a rugby league icon.

Lawrence, who scored 52 tries for the Giants, now has the chance to take Bulls back to the big time and it's a challenge that he's extremely excited about.

Speaking to the T&A about his first week with the Odsal side, Lawrence said: “I’ve settled in well after the move; obviously, it’s been a massive change for myself because I spent 16 years at Huddersfield, but I did feel it was the right time to make the change. I had a good meeting with Brian Noble, Jason Hirst and Nigel Wood, and they only had good things to say about the club.

“I then met Mark (Dunning) and he had a lot of positive words to say about the rebuilding process and I came away from all of the discussions with an element of excitement about what the future was going to hold."

Lawrence added: “I believe I’ve still got loads to give; that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to come here. Last year I only played around 13 games at Huddersfield and that was a bit frustrating for myself because I felt I still had loads to give on the field. Off the back of the World Cup, I knew that I wanted to be playing on a more consistent basis as I love being on the field and being able to contribute to the team. So, when the opportunity to join Bradford arrived, I felt it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down because I want to continue making an impact, both on and off the field.”

Discussing what he feels he can bring to Mark Dunning's side, Lawrence said: “I’d like to think that I can bring great leadership to this Bradford team as I’ve captained Huddersfield in the Super League and I’ve also captained Jamaica at international level. We had some good success at Huddersfield and I was a big part of that, so hopefully I can help to transfer that experience and knowledge to this team.

“On the field, I’ll look to help us play to the best of our ability and I’ll do that by working extremely hard for the team. Everybody who knows me, knows how hard I work and that I base my game around that, particularly on the defensive side of things. Hopefully, I can tighten up the Bradford defence, bring some good ruck speed and tighten up the middle of the field to relieve some of the pressure on the half-backs who we know will look to create at every opportunity."

Bradford Bulls' Twitter went into meltdown when the signing of Lawrence was confirmed, as it did when Jack Walker and Bodene Thompson were announced from Leeds Rhinos, with many fans in shock with the additions of the Super League stars.

And Lawrence admitted that it wasn't just Bradford who were interested in ending his reign at Huddersfield Giants.

He said: “I did have some interest from Super League clubs including Leigh, Wakefield and a couple of other teams, but it was the history of Bradford which pulled me in. When I was growing up, Bradford were probably the most famous and successful club in the world, and I’ve always admired them as a club. I chose to play my testimonial game against them when I was at Huddersfield because I knew about the size of the club and their fanbase. So, when that opportunity came up to join them, it just made sense to me as it ticked all the boxes; the training ground, the fans, the stadium, the club’s aspirations and the distance from my home were all involved in my decision making."

After spending 16 years at Huddersfield, it offers a change of scene and a change in life for the former Super League star, but it’s change he’s looking forward to tackling.

He said: “Yes, it’s a big change for me but at the end of the day, rugby league is rugby league and it’s not taken me long to get to know the lads, the surroundings and get a feel for the training facilities and that kind of thing. Pre-season is always tough because it’s all about working hard to make sure you’ve built that foundation for the year ahead, but you can set your goals from there and start to get excited about the season ahead. Hopefully we can get off to a good start, particularly at home, because the home form needs to be much better than last season. I’m also desperate to help push the new culture within the club.

The Jamaican star added: “Everything that I’ve heard from the people at the top of the club was that the culture at the club wasn’t right last year. I think me and a few of the senior guys who were here already, and a couple who’ve come in, can really help to change that culture to a hard working and successful one.

“With the additions that have been made, myself included, I do expect to see a big change both on and off the field at Bradford. I spoke to some of the performance staff when I came in on Monday and we were discussing the traits and habits which you need instilled into a club if you want to be successful. One of the main ones for me is that every player needs to be working hard in training, and if you’ve got that, then it generally transfers over to the field on matchday. I’ve played in the Super League for 16 years and I’ve found that if the fans can see you’re giving your absolute all for the club, then they’ll accept that whether win, lose or draw."

Discussing his early encounters with the Bradford first team, Lawrence said: “They’ve made good first impressions; they’re a great set of lads and I’ve been really impressed with the spine of the team. There’s definitely some quality in there and I’ll be looking to add some more to that this season.”

He added: “We should be challenging at the top of the table, no doubt about it. I think anything less than being in the top four and play-offs come the end of the season would be extremely underwhelming. As I’ve said, we’ve got a good group of players together now, particularly with the additions of Jack Walker and Bodene Thompson, and I’m sure the recruitment team will be looking to add even more quality.

“We know we’ll have to take each game as it comes, but hopefully we can rack up the wins and make Odsal a fortress again.”