Bradford Bulls boss admits wing and spine issues have hurt

The young winger had scored six tries in nine games for Bradford on dual-registration from Leeds in 2022 and 2023.

But a move to Hull FC in the off-season meant most Bulls fans thought they had seen the last of the 22-year-old in the red, amber and black.

Yet the Black and Whites have loaned both him and former NRL back rower Jayden Okunbor out to Odsal over the last week.

And unlike most temporary signings, Tindall is already well-versed in most things Bulls, ahead of yet another debut for the club this weekend at home to Sheffield in the Betfred Championship.

Liam Tindall is hugged by Keven Appo after scoring a try for Bulls at Odsal last season. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

O’Carroll said: “Liam was an important signing for us, and we’ve very happy to have him back.

“We saw how invested he was in the club the last time he was here, it’s familiar to him, and a couple of the lads who’ve played with him here before had good things to say about him to me.

“We’re looking forward to seeing something a bit different from him compared to our other outside backs.

“Ben (Blackmore) and Jorge (Taufua) are known as strong ball-carriers, where Liam has that out and out pace.”

Tindall, who scored in both of Bulls’ games against Sheffield last season, could be key against them again this Sunday, with Blackmore (ankle) and Taufua (shoulder) both potentially absent.

The pair have had a frustrating season with injuries so far, with O’Carroll saying: “It’s been difficult for our wingers, and while there’s the threat of disruption due to injuries all the time in rugby league, we’ve had too much of it to get the squad fully going with what we’re after.

Jorge Taufua looks set to be ruled out with another injury issue. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

“There’s a big chunk of the season left though, and all teams will go through what we have, it just seems to have hit us early.

“It’s not just out wide, because we’ve had problems in the spine with players like Lee Gaskell, Tom Holmes and Billy Jowitt missing.

“It’s one area Sheffield are really strong, they’ve been able to get a real rhythm going this season, where we haven’t.

“I see that as a challenge for us to overcome though, not an excuse.

“We’ve got a simple enough structure in place and it should be easy enough for players to drop into.”

As well as Taufua, who is having scans on the shoulder he hurt making a try-saving tackle in the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup semi-final defeat to Wakefield, Jayden Myers is also an injury doubt for this weekend, having struggled through the whole of the second half last Sunday.

Otherwise, O’Carroll is hopeful that the rest of his squad’s battered bodies will have recovered in time to face Sheffield, while he is also not ruling out a couple of returns to the side.