Ex-Warrington Wolves forward joins new Championship club following sudden Oldham exit
Zane Musgrove in action for Warrington Wolves in 2025
Zane Musgrove has joined Bradford Bulls on a short-term deal until the end of 2025 following his shock exit from fellow Championship outfit Oldham.
Former Super League ace Musgrove departed Warrington Wolves under a cloud back in May having featured 38 times for them across circa 18 months.
Linking up with Oldham, he featured three times for the Roughyeds before being handed a mammoth eight-game ban by the RFL for a charge relating to his involvement for Wire in their Challenge Cup semi-final win over Leigh Leopards.
The 29-year-old was the unused 18th man on the day, but was charged with the use of unacceptable language.
His long ban has now been served, and he was set to return this weekend, but Oldham announced earlier in the week that he had departed the club with a blunt 20-word statement.
And he has now had his arrival at Odsal confirmed by the Bulls, a fellow promotion contender in the Championship.
Ex-Warrington Wolves forward joins new Championship club following sudden Oldham exit
Prop Musgrove is a one-time Samoa international and donned the shirts of both South Sydney Rabbitohs and Wests Tigers as well as St George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL before moving into the British game.
As he joined Bradford, he said: “I’m extremely excited.
“From what I’ve seen from Bradford having played against them with Oldham a few weeks ago and how they go about their business, especially the forwards, I’m happy to be part of that pack and add to it.
“I’ve caught up with Nobby (Brian Noble, head coach) and he’s obviously got big ambitions for the club, so I am extremely excited for that and the challenge ahead.
“It sounds like a really tight knit group, there are some boys from the NRL I have played against so there is a good mixture of lads and I am looking forward to get in and building relationships and getting stuck in.
“It’s been an up and down year for me, I’ve got a couple of games to get right and then it’s into the finals, which is the business time.
“I’m just looking to finish the season on a high, I have a couple of games to get right and then get into the finals, that’s the business time which I am really looking forward to.”
Sat third on the ladder, the Bulls have four games of the ‘regular’ campaign remaining. Musgrove‘s debut is expected to come in the second of those next weekend against high-flying Toulouse Olympique.
Boss Noble added: “He’s played at the highest level in the National Rugby League in Australia, he’s played at a high level with Warrington in Super League and I think for the run-in he has backed himself and wants a chance with us.
“I’ve always said I wouldn’t bring in anybody that wasn’t as good or as good as what we’ve got, and I think with Zane we’ve got as good as we’ve got.
“With six games to go, if we get it right, it’s important that we maintain the pressure for positions and pressure for places and pressure for performances and all of those kind of things.
“There’s no gimmes, Zane goes by the same rules, if he’s not up to speed, then he won’t play.
“I’ve met Zane a couple of times, I know he’s a good person who will bring energy to us, I think he likes what he has seen at Bradford.
“He’s as much content with us as the other way round and I think he understands the nature of our field, he could be quite dynamic.”
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