Bradford bring ANOTHER academy product home for 2027 as Warrington man signs

Bradford Bulls have agreed a deal to bring another academy product back to the club in 2027 – with James Bentley returning to Odsal on a long-term deal.

Bentley started his career at the Bulls almost a decade earlier before going on to have a successful career with the likes of St Helens and Leeds Rhinos.

But he will now head back to where it all began next year, after becoming the latest player to come through the Odsal production line to sign a deal with Kurt Haggerty’s Bulls for 2027 and beyond.

Bentley seals Bradford return

England international John Bateman and Wakefield Trinity centre Cam Scott have already signed deals to join the Bulls heading into next season.

And Bentley will be next – and he is targeting trophies with what will be a new-look Bradford squad going into the 2027 campaign.

He said: “I am buzzing at the opportunity to come back to Bradford and get to play where it all started, now the club is back in Super League it makes it extra special and I want to come back to win trophies and bring silverware back to Bradford.

“With where I am at in my career, when the opportunity to come back came around it was something I wanted to do. From speaking to Kurt [Haggerty] and Brian [Noble] and hearing where they want to take the club, it really excites me and made me want to be a part of that.

“There are a lot of quality players coming back to the club and with the direction the club is going in, it is an exciting time. I have learnt a lot in my career so my role will look a lot different, I will be coming back to be a leader and to teach some of the younger lads who are in the squad.

“I can’t wait to be running back out at Bartercard Odsal again as a Bradford player, it is a great stadium and I loved being back there last week. I can’t wait to call it home again and to get back out there playing for the Bradford fans.”

Haggerty explains Bentley signing

Bulls coach Haggerty said: “I’m extremely pleased to be bringing James back to the club, he is another serial winner we’ve got over the line.

“He’s another Bradford boy, he’s ultra-competitive, he wants to win every moment he’s involved in and he certainly suits our narrative of the scrappers. He is a player that has played in and won big games, so he is going to add a lot of value on and off the field.

“We’ve done a lot of homework around James regarding his intensity in training, we obviously know how he plays within games and ultimately the feedback we have received has been first class.

“I know exactly what he offers on the field, I won’t be trying to pull anything back in regards to how he plays either, I understand the way he plays and he sometimes plays on the edge but that is not always a bad thing.

“When I sit down and go through recruitment, we always have a strategy and I try put players into categories of professionalism, competitors and aggressors so that’s what I always look at and James ticks that box. When you go to play in big games and you’ve got the likes of James Bentley, John Bateman and Zac Fulton in your back row, it certainly adds some spice.”