By Jay
Leeming.
Good evening to all
BULLievers old and new,
Well
what a week it’s been for the bulls. I would like to start by saying hello and
welcome to the bulls to our new non-executive Kate Hardcastle. Kate will
dedicate 20 days of her time free of charge to help the bulls with her
experience. This is a fantastic partnership and Kate has got the ball rolling
already.
Great
news on the finance front, Akbar’s restaurant has given us £25,000 this week.
Thank you very much for this as it will be spent wisely and possibly be used
for the temporary roof which will be installed over the popular side.
Well
the weather surely played its part this week, the hugely popular comedy night
had to be cancelled on Friday but if you have got tickets they are fine to be
used at the next comedy night which I think is February. If you wish to have a
refund on your ticket you can contact the ticket office who will help you out.
The
weather didn’t stop the lads from going to odsal earlier in the week and they
spotted a fox on the snow clad pitch.
Other
news, Luke Gale and Chev Walker visited the RUGBYAM studios to have a chat with
Dj Alex Simmons on his weekly show which is Wednesdays 7am – 10am. It was
hilarious with Chev doing the hot wing challenge and Alex comparing Omar with
George from the film east is east. Here is the listen link https://soundcloud.com/#alex-simmons-music/rugby-am-show-7-alex-simmons
Well
Sunday approached with some speed and thankfully the dedicated hard working
ground staff at Leeds made sure the game went ahead. The turnout for Danny McGuire’s
testimonial game despite the weather conditions was 6,106. The game was a fast
paced intense rivalry although this was meant to be a friendly. Bulls vs.
Rhino’s is never a friendly. Here is my match report,
The
bulls took firm control of the game and opened their account with a lovely try
from Jarrod Sammut. The bulls then piled on the pressure and by the midway
point of the first half were 18-0 up through Sammut and Brett Kearney who had
both scored 2 apiece. Leeds came back though and through new signing Joe
Vickery who also scored twice but, Golden boot winner Kevin Sinfield failed to
convert making it Bulls 18 Leeds 8 at the break. Just before the hour Leeds
scored again this time through Rob Burrow making the score bulls 18 Leeds 14 as
this time Kevin Sinfield converted. Kearney weaved his way over for his second
and Jamie Foster’s fourth conversion put the Bulls 24-14 up. Leeds responded through England
winger Ryan Hall with 12 minutes remaining and Francis Cummins was denied a
winning return to headingley when McGuire scampered clear in trademark fashion
in the 70th minute and Sinfield converted to level the match at 24 all. Which
was the final score. It was great to see James Donaldson get a run out even
though it was only 20 mins he was under orders as it was his first game back
since injury. The Bulls fans were as usual in superb voice and sang for the
whole 80 mins.
Well
BULLievers as promised, here is your player spotlight featuring none other than
our very own fans favourite and longest current serving player Jamie Langley.
Hi
Jamie can you give me a quick intro please,
Jamie
Langley. Squad number 13. Position forward.
1.
Which
coach / person has been most influential in your career?
I've been fortunate enough to work under some very talented
coaches in my career so it's hard to pinpoint one as you learn different things
from every coach you have. The two coaches that probably stand out in my mind
would have to be Bernard Dwyer in my first couple of seasons at the club and
Mike Gregory who coached me at England academy level. Both outstanding players
and even better blokes.
2.
I
know some youngsters (ladies) love your hair. Would you ever consider changing
hairstyles?
My hair has kind of become my signature these days so it
will be a sad day when I have to eventually cut it off! I've mixed it up over
the years with corn rows and even straightening it on the odd occasion but for
now I'm quite content with the curly locks!
3.
As
the longest serving bull who have been the best players you've played with and which
young players excite you at Bradford and why?
I have been at the club since 1999 when I was still at
school and have had the pleasure of playing with some outstanding players over
the years. If I had to single out a few then I would have to say from my
earlier years at the club Jimmy Lowes & Robbie Paul were outstanding. Both
very talented and knowledgeable and also fantastic leaders. More recently I
would have to say Steve Menzies is probably the most naturally gifted player
I've ever played with. He has natural instincts you can't coach and has a great
temperament for the game.
There
are a lot of talented young players coming through at the moment which is great
and I think John Bateman and Adam O'Brian are at the forefront of that.
4.
Do
you keep in touch with any of the players from the ''good old days'' and what
are they up to these days?
It's always nice to see players that you have played with
over the years. Most of the lads are still playing and enjoying success after
Bradford which is great. I bumped into Baloo (Paul Anderson) the other day, my
old travelling partner, it's great to see he's now forging a career as a coach
and I'm sure he'll be very successful. Just not against us!
5.
When
you hang up your playing boots, what is your next mover career wise?
I love sport so after I finish playing I would love to still
be involved in sport in some capacity whether it be coaching or going down the
training avenue.
Along with Wayne Godwin and Duane Straughier we have just
started up the brand 'We Are Taurus' which at the minute provides training
clothing and we are also involved with a few fitness classes too. Eventually
we'll have a website up and running so people can purchase the clothing online
and also see when the next training classes are taking place. We're having a
lot of fun with it at the minute and people really seem to like it! Hopefully
when the training schedule calms down we'll be able to put some more time into
it and who knows where it might lead. For the latest updates on We Are Taurus follow
me on twitter @JamieLangley13 & also @wearetaurus too!
6.
If
you wasn’t a professional rugby league player, what career would you have
pursued?
If I weren't to play rugby I would have still been involved
in a career in sport somehow whether it be coaching or teaching.
7.
What
has been the high and low of your bull’s career?
The highs of my career would no doubt be winning the Grand
Final and the two world club challenges in that order. The lows without a
shadow of a doubt would be the injuries you have to contend with. I would love
to be one of these players who never seems to get injured but not everyone can
be so fortunate.
8.
Apart
from playing at loose forward, what other position would you like to play in?
I'm happy to play in any position in the forwards and have
even had a run out in the centres in the past but I like to be around the ball
so the middle of the field suits me better.
9.
After
a lengthy career in top flight rugby what still motivates and fuels the fire?
Every year is a new challenge and I've always found it easy
to motivate myself. The challenge of being a professional athlete is something
I take very seriously and I always make sure I do everything I possibly can to
get the most out of myself. This is what keeps me motivated, striving to be the
best I can possibly be.
10.
How
many times a day do you work out to keep the biggest arms in super league?
During the off season I work out in the gym between 4-5
times a week, that's where you build up your base then as it gets closer to the
games it's more like 2-3 times a week. I find it very easy to gain muscle mass
so have to limit the amount of lifting I do in the season. I don't specifically
train the 'guns' more, I just have good genes to thank for those!
11.
What
is your daily training regime?
A normal day would be arrive at the training ground around
8am for massage or foam rolling/mobility stretches to get your body ready for
the days training. Then we weigh ourselves and fill out a 'well being'
questionnaire about how much sleep we've had, stress levels and body soreness
etc. Then we do 30 minutes Pre-hab with our physio to prepare your body for the
on coming sessions. Then we'll do around 45 minutes work in the gym lifting
weights etc. followed by around 15 minutes of mini skills on the mats working
on tackle technique, passing and handling & communication. Then we might do
a short blast in the cardio room on the rowers or boxing for around 20 minutes.
We'll then break for lunch. After lunch we'll go out and do around 1.5-2 hours
of field work and we usually finish around 3pm. During the season the days get
shorter and you have a lot more video work and analysis.
12.
What
is your diet throughout the season and how does it differ when injured?
It’s important to keep my body fat levels low so I keep my
diet tight and consistent throughout the year and it doesn't vary too much if I
happen to be injured. Simply put I eat mostly whole foods and try to avoid
anything with sugar or saturated fat. I eat larger meals for breakfast and
lunch and try to eat every 2-3 hours. I keep my eating habits strict through
the week then will allow myself a cheat meal at the weekend, pizza or steak,
chips & onion rings are my favourites!
13.
Do
you think the fans helped the lads push through last year’s tribulations?
The fans played a MASSIVE part in getting the team through
last season. In my opinion our fans were second to none last year and the
players are forever grateful at the support which we receive home and away,
week after week. The fans play a large part in our successes and when they get
behind us in games it gives us a huge lift. Their contribution is invaluable
and the lads really appreciate it.
14.
How
does it feel to be the longest current player at the club?
It's an honour to be the longest serving player at the club.
I've enjoyed every minute at Bradford, even through the tough times and
hopefully I can enjoy it for a little while longer!
15.
Realistically,
where do you think we will finish this season?
I believe realistically, if we keep a healthy squad, we can
finish within the top eight.
16.
Where
did you get your 'Finish Strong'
catchphrase from?
The 'Finish Strong' catchphrase. Well I
don't really use it that often. I used it quite a lot during the Bullsbodyblitz
and maybe that's where the question came from. It's something I think in my own
mind when the going is really tough, to the point where your lungs are bursting
through your chest and your muscles are literally burning due to the lactic
acid but in my head I'm thinking "come on now, You got this. Finish
strong!" You should never let your body lead your mind, your body will
always want to give up. If you have a strong mind you can push your body past
the limits it wants to go.
Many
thanks go to Jamie Langley for his time in doing the interview which has become
a regular feature in BULLieve without player interaction with us the fans I
think the club wouldn’t be as close knit as it has become.
Once
again thank you Jamie and save me some onion rings.
BULLieve
has now got its own twitter account and I am asking if you would kindly try get
BULLieve more followers? You can follow by following @BULLieve2013 and you can
now email using bullieve@hotmail.co.uk.
Thank
you for your time in reading BULLieve the article is getting better by the week
and all comments queries etc please don’t hesitate to let me know via twitter
or email.
Until
next week, keep safe in this weather.
Cheers
BULLievers,
Jay.
