Bulls confirm 2011 squad numbers
Bradford have released their squad numbers for the 2011 Super League season, with 26 players named in Mick Potter’s squad.
The Bulls have been one of the most active clubs during the close season and their squad includes no fewer than 11 new faces.
Chev Walker and Patrick Ah Van will wear number 4 and 5 respectively while Marc Herbert will replace Matt Orford in the number 7 shirt.
Oliver Elima and youngster Elliot Whitehead have been handed the number 11 and 12 shirts, making up a new look second row. New signings Bryn Hargreaves and Ian Sibbit are at 15 and 17.
Wingers Shaun Ainscough and Gareth Raynor have been given numbers 18 and 19 with Matt Diskin, who joined from rivals Leeds, wearing number 14.
Two players making the step up from the Co-operative Championship, Shad Royston and Kyle Briggs, will wear number 25 and 32 respectively.
Michael Platt has been awarded the number 1 shirt but the club’s new coach Mick Potter said that this didn’t mean that Platt would be the starting full back.
“Platty’s practised at full back, he’s practised at centre and he’s practised on the wing. Given that we’ve brought in Chev Walker and Patrick Ah Van is was just the way the numbers fitted a little bit more easily,” he told the club’s website.
Potter also said that hooker Heath L’Estrange deserved to retain the number 9 shirt, despite the arrival of Diskin.
“Heath deserved to keep the No 9. It’s well-documented how good a player Matty Diskin is and you’ve seen that over the years with Leeds but it wouldn’t have been fair to take the shirt off Heath,” he said.
The former St Helens coach decided not to award places in the first team squad to a number of youngsters who have been training with the full-time with the club. That list includes John Bateman, Tom Burgess, Vinny Finigan and Cain Southernwood.
Squad: 1 Michael Platt, 2 Dave Halley, 3 Paul Sykes, 4 Chev Walker, 5 Patrick Ah Van, 6 Brett Kearney, 7 Marc Herbert, 8 Nick Scruton, 9 Heath L’Estrange, 10 Andy Lynch, 11 Olivier Elima, 12 Elliott Whitehead, 13 Jamie Langley, 14 Matt Diskin, 15 Bryn Hargreaves, 16 Craig Kopczak, 17 Ian Sibbit, 18 Shaun Ainscough, 19 Gareth Raynor, 20 James Donaldson, 21 Danny Addy, 22 Steve Crossley, 23 Tom Olbison, 24 Jason Crookes, 25 Shad Royston, 32 Kyle Briggs