Bradford Bulls boss issues recruitment update as honest admission made on need for ‘couple of bodies’

Bradford Bulls boss Kurt Haggerty has admitted his side are looking to bring in some reinforcements, but insists they need to be the right fit for the club. 

The newly promoted side have enjoyed a strong start to the new season, sitting fourth in the table with two wins from three as well as the fourth-best attack in the competition, but are also struggling with injuries.

Star signing Jayden Nikorima is yet to make his full debut for the club after picking up a calf issue, while the likes of Jayden Okunbor, Dan Russell, Joe Keyes and Ebon Scurr are also on the sidelines.

Kurt Haggerty out for new recruits as injuries tally up

These injury issues have led the head coach to dip into the market, something he previously hinted at in the aftermath of that victory over the French side, but Haggerty is adamant he wants the right person to join his squad rather than just something to plug a gap.

“We’re open to listening; agents reach out and speak to us, and that’s been ongoing since I came to the club,” he said. “We’re consistently looking, but it will certainly have to be the right person that comes into the club. We won’t rush anything, because we play quite uniquely and they’ve got to fit as a person to come into our environment.

When asked if there were any specific positional areas in mind, Haggerty added: “I think in probably every area. We’re still a relatively light squad and have some young kids in there, so it’s hard to pinpoint one area that we think we need to strengthen. We probably need a couple of bodies if I’m honest, but it has to be the right people to come into our environment.

“I certainly won’t rush a decision to bring somebody in just to make up numbers; it has to work for us.”

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But, even as Haggerty starts to ramp up his hunt for fresh bodies, Bradford have received a bit of welcome news on the injury front in the form of Guy Armatige, who comes back into full contention this weekend after making his return to the wider match-day squad last weekend against Toulouse.

“Guy Armatige is fit, so he drops into the squad,” said Haggerty. “He’s been waiting for his opportunity.”

The London-native was a mainstay in the Bulls side last season, making 26 appearances and scoring 16 tries along the way, but now finds himself battling for a shirt against the likes of Ethan Ryan and Connor Wynne.

“It starts with honesty,” Haggerty said about his route back into the starting group. “I let him know where he’s at and where he needs to catch up, and I need to see him train consistently before we can speak about him playing. It’s just being in and around training consistently, and we can go from there.

“He’s really studious, he’s a really good guy, he’s learning the systems and he’s ready to play when his opportunity comes. He’s a big boy for sure and he’s got strong yardage carry, and when he gets his defensive systems right he could be a real weapon for us on the edge.”

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