Bulls CEO Jason Hirst admits that modern-day communications have made it easier for the club keep open a direct line with new head coach Eamon O’Carroll while he continues in his role as Catalans assistant until the end of the season.
He also insisted the club had no intention of disrespecting current interim boss Lee Greenwood, who will remain the man to answer to for the media until O’Carroll officially starts working for Bulls.
O’Carroll is involved already at Odsal, but asked if it was difficult sharing him with Catalans for the next few months, Hirst said: “In this day and age, with WhatsApp and texting, it’s a lot easier than it used to be.
“I’m in regular contact with Eamon and after the fans’ forum, I checked my phone and there was a message from him.
“We have regular Teams meetings every week and then there’s texts and phone calls.
“For this season, and any recruiting for this year, it’s Brian (Noble) and Lee, but in terms of planning for next year, it’s all three of them and Eamon is heavily involved in that already.
“It’s working well at the moment and long may that continue.”
O’Carroll will otherwise remain in the background, in terms of other Bulls duties.
Hirst said: “If we were to use Eamon now, well we’re not employing him, so it would be disrespectful to Catalans, (Dragons head coach) Steve McNamara and to Eamon, Lee and Brian themselves.
“Brian and Lee are in charge of the first team until the end of the season, so they’re my point of contact when it comes to discussing recruitment and anything rugby league related for 2023.”
People were left wondering how long Greenwood and Noble would be in interim charge, but the wait for O’Carroll, and the announcement of him coming in on a three-year deal from 2024, has been widely well-received.
Hirst reflected: “I hope it has gone down really well, because Eamon’s a quality, up-and-coming coach with great credentials.
“He’s played at the top level but more importantly, he’s been around a good system, with Catalans arguably right up there as the best.
“He’s assisted Steve McNamara, learned his craft, and the fact he wants to come to the Bulls is testament to him, but also testament to the draw of the Bradford Bulls and the ambition of the club and board.
“We deliberately took our time in choosing Eamon, as obviously a head coach is a vital appointment at any club.
“It helped that Lee and Brian went on a good run and won lots of games, as that bought us time.
“But it was really important to us that we were as satisfied as we ever could be that we’d appointed the best candidate and we firmly believe we’ve done that.
“Eamon’s got a three-year deal and it’s a full-time role on a full-time wage, which isn’t the case for many Championship clubs.
“It’s not a cheap appointment but we really want to build with Eamon.
“We’re really excited to work alongside him and for him to lead us to success on the field.”
Hirst admitted Bulls went into their appointment process with flexibility, as to whether to bring someone in immediately or further down the line like they have done with O’Carroll.
He said: “We were always open-minded.
“There were pros and cons to bringing Eamon in immediately, and we could have explored that avenue.
“But on balance we felt the correct thing to do was stick with Lee and Brian for the remainder of the season.
“Once we’d ascertained they were keen to do that, there were more advantages to keeping the pair of them, rather than making a second change to the head coach in one season.
“I think that’s best for the players and the club at this moment in time.
“It worked well for Eamon too, as it enables him to continue learning and experiencing Super League, and achieving some goals of his own in there.
“That meant all round, Eamon, Brian, Lee and the club were happy with the arrangement.
“We also very much intend Lee and Brian to still be with us in 2024 too, with Brian as football consultant, Lee as assistant to Eamon.
“I think if we have all three of them working together next year, it’ll only make the first team stronger.”
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