2015 SEASON REVIEW.
Sadly the 2015 campaign didn't quite end with the prize we all wanted, and that was the return back to Super league, but was 2015 a failure? It's hard to take that once again next season we have to trudge off to grounds such as Oldham, Whitehaven, Doncaster instead of Leeds, Wigan and Saints.
After the 2014 relegation it left us with a shortage of players so the emphasis was to build a 30 + strong squad in preparation for the 2015 campaign, at least we were able to hold onto the likes of Lee Gaskell, Adam O'Brien, Danny Addy and Dale Ferguson to name a few, with Super league quality and experience proving vital to the rebuilding of the squad and pushing for a return to the elite of Rugby league.
The Championship proved that it wouldn't be the walk over some had predicted, Leigh gave Bradford an opening day sickener and set out there intentions firmly that they were not there to make up the numbers, especially when the Bulls really could have done with laying down the early season marker, however Leigh performed well during the regular season finishing 6 points clear after the 23 regular season games, but despite this counted for nothing. The rivalry between the 2 clubs during the campaign added some spice to the fixtures and the encounters were quite fiery too, but it was the Bulls that had the chance to make a return to SL only to miss out in the Million £ game to Wakefield.
During the season you could say that at times the side lacked leadership and self belief of which James Lowes admitted in the post match press conferences, the front row lacked any go forward and the half back partnerships were sometimes questionable, especially with injuries to Siejka and Gaskell hampering continuity, if we are to get back to SL it's going to be more about greater quality within the squad and not so much quantity. A tighter defence is also a must in the 2016 season as too many tries were leaked and only scraping through some games onto victory. Was 2015 a missed opportunity, you have to feel that it was as Wakefield limped through SL, but former Bulls coach Brian Smith worked his magic and dragged them back by the scruff of the neck after spending most of the season in their knees.
So back to question Success or Failure, well let's look at this way from our perspective we didn't achieve the goal of promotion but on the other hand we had the Blackpool bash which was a huge success. Adam O'Brien really shone for us, and at times its argued he was overplayed and became a target for the opposition but he really stood up this season, Danny Addy also deserves a huge amount of credit for his abilities during the campaign which has been capped off with a call up to the Scotland national side. But most of all it's the fans of the Bulls who really showed why they were the best in the division, Fans travelled in large numbers filling the coffers of other clubs and creating a truly fantastic atmosphere and sticking by there team more so now more than ever before, it's easy following a team when your winning everything in front of you, but the fans showed everyone what Bradford as a club means to them.
Success in the fact that we stood by our club and kept the faith, when it would have been easy to walk away, Failure in not getting back to Super league at the first attempt, but as they say never give up trying and you don't know success unless you have tasted failure.
2015 was also kind to BULLieve as we were invited behind the scenes courtesy of the then media executive Ryan Sparks, to see what takes place on the game day itself. It also happened to coincide with the visit of Bulls legend Lesley Vanikolo, we had a great afternoon and something that will stay with us for a long time
A Big Man with a big heart and he never did the naked run!!
In this edition of our blog we are blessed to be able to feature one of many favourites at Odsal, a powerhouse on the field but a true gentleman away from the game, he gave his all, all of the time and we are proud to have been able to speak with him, in this edition we welcome Joe Vagana.
Big Joe arrived from Auckland Warriors in 2001, within a few months his impact on the field had made him a firm favourite, by the end of his first season, the Bulls had finished Minor Premiers, he was also part of the side that destroyed Wigan in the Grand final.
Joe first arrived on our shores in 1993 with the junior kiwis, he was joined by a fellow kiwi and at the time future team mate Henry Paul and a whole host of up and coming SL and NRL players, 7 years later he returned with the Kiwi's world cup team that were beaten by Australia in the final. |The side had thrashed England at Bolton on their way to the final. Joe's block busting performance of that day really made people stand up and take note, the England side were not quite aware of what had hit them, there was also an altercation with Keith Senior, well we know who came out on top.
Joe's presence on the field was immense he was possessed with amazing level of skill and to be able to off load in the tackle, always tactically aware of goings on and was devastating in attack and defence.
Joe played a huge part in the clubs success, 3 World Club Challenges, 3 Super League titles and a Challenge Cup winners medal. Joe was utilised like all modern day forwards to make a impact and utilised in strategic spells. In 9 seasons with the Bulls Joe amassed 242 appearance's, 52 from the bench and at least he had the honour of scoring at least 1 try a season.
In the Bulls treble winning season 0f 2003 and the Centenary season of 2007 Big Joe went over for 5 tries greeted by the cheers which you normally hear at the final hooter, it was not prolific scoring but the loudest cheer of all was when he converted a try against Featherstone in 2005, Joes appearance record for the club was immense, only a broken arm kept him out of the side, for 2 months in his final season meaning he only ever missed 10 games in 7 years that's some achievement.
Along with Brian Mac, Paul Anderson, Stuart Fielden, he was part of the Awesome Foursome, a pack which dominated and terrorised the whole of Super League, Joes combination with Jimmy Lowes at hooker proved a huge success and brought him the recognition he deserved from both New Zealand Samoa but you have to agree that the highest respect came from the fans in 2007, when he was voted into the "Team of the Century" against some tough opposition.
Around the time Joe was making his impact on the field there were also 2 other future prop forwards developing through the ranks in the forms of Sam Burgess and Craig Kopczack . Joe became a father figure to the youngsters and set a fantastic example for those players to look up to over his time at the club,
Both players mentioned have gone on to form great careers in Rugby league and its great to see Sam back in the game he knows and loves best. Sadly by the end of 2008 Joes no nonsense robust approach to the game was beginning to take its toll, always in the thick of battle and not one to take a backward step Joe called time on a wonderful career, he headed back home to his native New Zealand. Joe is a true gentleman of the game and will certainly go down as one of the Legends to pull on a Bulls jersey, we managed to catch up with Joe who happily agreed to chat with BULLieve and it was certainly a pleasure we hope you enjoy.
1st home Auckland , NZ 2nd home Bradford , West Yorkshire.
Profession and educational background:
- St Pauls College , Auckland
Years in sport of any kind:
20 +
Other Sports participated in:
rugby , cricket , touch , volleyball
Years in Rugby league. 33yrs.
Here is our 1-1 with Joe we hope you enjoy reading as much as we did chatting to the big man,
Q. In your early playing days how supportive were your parents/family.
Faith , Parents and Family were my main and most important sources of support to me not only in my early days but also middle and end and post !! lol
Q. What got you started in Rugby league and if you hadn't made it as a player what would do think you would have done instead
Local park which was 5 min walk from my home happen to be home of Richmond Rover RL Club ( #has produced more kiwi players then any othe local club 50 + ! ) my older brothers played there as well as close friends , always wanted to be a police officer , however one of the testing requirement was to run 2.4 km in 10min 30 sec so probably would never happen haha
Q. What was your biggest achievement in Rugby League?
Umm was blessed with some Great achievements so tough to pinpoint biggest however being named in Bradford's Team of the Century was a very big honour ...why because the fans had a say which means I was doing something right if the best fans in RL choose me lol in fact the only medal that I display at my home is the cap I recieved for making the team .
Q. How did you set your own personal goals.
Short term and long term goals were important and always pushing limits for myself then working hard to achieve them
Q. What was your biggest challenge during your career and how did you manage it.
Weight management !! I would put weight on when walking past a bakery lol . A lot of
extra training , a lot of extra sweating and bleeding and eating well 80% of the time seem to do the trick
Weight management !! I would put weight on when walking past a bakery lol . A lot of
extra training , a lot of extra sweating and bleeding and eating well 80% of the time seem to do the trick
Q. What did your diet consist of during your career, and what kind of training plan did you have?
No secret that weight management is 80% what you eat !! so for most times chicken , fish rice veggies and fruit etc, etc ,but every now and then those steak slices from Greggs would get me haha
No secret that weight management is 80% what you eat !! so for most times chicken , fish rice veggies and fruit etc, etc ,but every now and then those steak slices from Greggs would get me haha
Q. What did Bradford do different to other teams that in your opinion made them so successful during your time there.
We had a pretty strong Family Bond / Culture as players as a club as fans , we were in it together and would happily lay our body on the line for each other . Mentality was this our house , our family .....protect at all cost ........ and we did !!
Q. What was the best advice you were ever given? And what advice would you give to any young player starting out today in RL.
Believe in yourself
Q. Do you have a saying or motto that you live your life by?
Your ATTITUDE will determine your ALTITUDE
Q. Where did you draw your inspiration from?
My wife and kids, and those who go outside their comfort box to chase their dreams and against all odds come our victorious !
Q. Now your back home in NZ do you still keep an eye out for the Bulls results and what is your advice to the fans as we look towards next season in the 2nd Tier.
Yes i'm constantly on the T&A website for game reports and watched last game v Wakey .........so close !! There been some tough times at Odsal since our glory days but a big part of our success came down to " Belief "
Q. The Southern Hemisphere still dominates both codes of rugby, in your opinion what is done differently in Oz and NZ that we don't do over here.
ummm tough , 1 thing different is that this side of the world rugby / rugby league is a national sport thing where every boy / girl from when they start walking wants to play league / rugby. Over there (Uk) its football 1st then depending where you from darts , cricket , rugby league etc .
11. Now that you are away from the rugby field what occupies your time most these days.
Family and Work . Any1 one with kids know its a balancing act school run , school fees , I want this , I want that .......... you get the drift lol , i'm lucky my wife and I are great team who shares the work load ..... I think I do more but ill never tell her hahaha
Q. You never had to do the run!!!! You must be pretty proud of this.
NEVER !! hahaha very proud of this still remember the days when there was a banner in the stands counting down the games for me , would've scored more but Robbie never passed the ball .
Q. What was the team bonding like at Bradford, were the players quite close off the field and how did you prepare yourselves for the big games I;e finals, challenge cup etc.
We were FAMILY on and off the pitch including the office staff , Groundsman , shop staff it was awesome and why I was there for 8 season. Group of us would book into Cedar Court night before go have Italian food at ( ummm forgot name think it was Ittel ) then back to hotel for poker and chill ........ seemed to work so that became our routine
Q. You were the sole survivor of the "awesome foursome" in 2008 was it always your plan to retire after that season
As the season went on I knew that would be my last , body was aching and there were youngsters ready to shine like Sam , Koppy and already a leader and Mr reliable Lynchy.
Q. What would be your most stand out memorable moment in a Bulls shirt.
Too many , but still remember my 1st jersey presentation held at that night club next to valley parade ..... went home thinking im gonna like it here fast forward 8 seasons " I Loved It "
16. If you could go back and change anything at all during your playing career what would it be.
Wouldn't change a thing , i'm a believer that things happen for a reason !
17. Rugby league is marketed very differently in England compared to NZ and Oz, what do you think could be done to promote it more, union gets all the news and Spotlight but league seems to be a forgotten sport.
Same here, Rugby has the backing of TV companies and people with money....
however we all know Rugby League is the better product.
however we all know Rugby League is the better product.
Thank you Joe for taking time to speak to BULLieve, we all wish you well in your future.
Pre Season 2016 Game Review.
With 2016 about to get underway and what promises to be another exciting yet challenging season, there is a lot to look forward too.
Despite being beaten at Leeds just over 2 weeks ago it certainly wasn't a battering by any means, The Rhinos fielded a very strong experienced side as did the Bulls, but it was Bradford that started the game brightly and even led at half time albeit only a 2 point margin, The Bulls defence held strong for long periods of the game and improvements have clearly been made since last season, Jimmy included 4 dubutants and 2 new recruits in his matchday line up.
Bradford had several chances in the first half and were the more creative at times, after around 10 minutes of pressure on the Rhinos line it finally paid off as Kris Welham scored his first try in a bulls shirt, with Addy converting, the champions hit back though through Danny McGuire, with a neat move between himself and Tom Briscoe, and racing down half of the field to touch down In response to this the Bulls hit back in superb form in the shape of Adam O'Brien, Sidlow had made the first break before an offload to O'Brien, then a pass to Gaskell only to return the ball back to O'Brien for a brilliant try and Addy to add the extras.
Sadly the Bulls couldn't add on any more scores after the interval, it all went to the Rhinos with Ryan Hall showing his super league class to score and giving the Rhinos the lead for the first time in the game, soon after it was Achurch to crash over after repeated pressure on the Bulls line, 2 further tries followed through Burrow and Falloon, Bradford can certainly take heart from this game despite the final scoreline of 12-26.
In the rearranged tie last Friday at Odsal, Bradford took on a very youthful Castleford Tigers, Coach James Lowes had included 5 academy players in his matchday lineup, it was the home side that made an electric start to the game, with only 2 minutes gone into the game Adam O'Brien had created a great chance by kicking over the tigers back line for James Clare to touch down and Addy converting. The Bulls really were on top form and once again it was O'Brien who laid off to Olbison and went crashing over the line, Omari Caro was the next to score in the corner, but the Tigers pulled a score back just before half time through Minikin. Into the second half and despite the youth of the Castleford side, they probed away all night asking questions of the bulls defence and applied good pressure they were rewarded with another try on 66 through Sheehan, the Bulls added to there scores through Mellor, Hooley, and Kirk with the final score 26~8.
We would also like to send our best wishes to Castleford winger Ash Robson, who whilst in the last minute of the game he ruptured his patella tendon (Knee Cap) and now faces an 8 month lay off we wish you well.
With so much expectation for 2016 we feel Jimmy has the right men in to do the job, many question that Richie Mathers has signed but as always only time will tell, we at BULLieve feel there is a good mix of young stars coming through as well to secure our future back in Super league, and to develop into the future.
Here are your fixtures for 2016
New Features.
Over the coming blogs and through our Facebook and Twitter, we are looking to see your memories from supporting Bradford Northern/Bulls, it can be from this current season a favourite moment well anything you want it to be that's a special memory to you from supporting our team. Send them into our Facebook or tweet us @BullsBULLieve to be sure of featuring or e mail them to bullieve@hotmail.co.uk, plenty of ways to get involved during what is to be an exciting 2016 in plenty of ways. Its your blog as much as we write this, For the fans by the fans so get involved and join in.
Keep a look out for competitions during 2016, we have recently run one there is much more to come in the coming months.
Keep a look out for competitions during 2016, we have recently run one there is much more to come in the coming months.
Here is me in about 2003 with my partner, its stuff like this were after seeing, or it may be a programme that has a specialmeaning, send it in and we will feature it.
Quiz time
Over 2016 we aim to have some new features, one we have briefly touched on is a quiz on Northern/Bulls through our Facebook group, well here is the quiz again we posted in or group you may or may not have seen so here you are again, will post the answers soon in our Facebook group in due course. We hope you enjoy.
Please note that all questions include the club known as Bradford/ Bradford Northern & Bradford Bulls.
Q. In what year was Trevor Fosters Debut for the Bradford Club
Q. Bradford were one of the first teams to play under floodlights outside of London, can yo name the year and against which team.
Q. Which was the first team to nil the Bulls in Super League.
Q. Which Aussie side did Adrian Morley sign from.
Q. Name at least 4 Bulls players that took part in the Middlesex 7's tournament.
Q. After winning the Challenge cup in 2000, how many years was it since before they had won it last.
Q. Rugby league is now traditionally played on a Sunday (before sky) but it was originally a Saturday game, which year was this introduced and why are Bradford important in this inception.
Q. Name the referee in the 2001 Grand Final.
Q. Keith Mumby broke into the Bradford Side in 1973 but who resigned to give him his big break.
Q. Which year did Jimmy Lowes win man of Steel.
Q.Which year did the council plan to turn Odsal back into a rubbish dump.
Q. What is the lowest crowd ever to watch a Bradford Game.
Q. Which junior club did Ernest Ward sign from.
Q. Why did Bradford walk off the pitch in 1982.
Q. Which team did Bradford play on there first game at Odsal.
Q. Name the Coach that took the Northern side to victory in 1947 at Wembley (not one to show emotions)
And finally a nice easy one to finish.
Q. Which 2 players came to Odsal in 1985 in the transfer for Ellery Hanley, and we don't need an exact figure but what was the fee for Hanley. Nearest £10,000.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBBIE HUNTER PAUL
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBBIE HUNTER PAUL
We really do hope you have a great day, don't forget if you would like a mention in our birthdays please get in touch on our social media as mentioned through this edition.
Finally don't forget where you can get all your merchandise by clicking here get your tickets and everything else you may need or want to know, we hope you have enjoyed this and we will be back again very soon with yet another former player, keep a look out and most of all please keep BULLieving!!!!!!
Finally don't forget where you can get all your merchandise by clicking here get your tickets and everything else you may need or want to know, we hope you have enjoyed this and we will be back again very soon with yet another former player, keep a look out and most of all please keep BULLieving!!!!!!
All views expressed are our own and in no way are they officially associated with Bradford Bulls RLFC, they do not necessarily express the views of the club but these are our own as a fans view. Thank you for reading.
Written by Thomas Fynn.
