The new signing Orford reckons that the Bulls will be challenging for a top four place next season , do you think that he hasn't watched the Bulls recently , they may have just missed out on a play off place but I haven't seen them improve their squad enough for a claim like that
Anyone agree with him ?????????

Maybe he means top 4 of the bottom 8 ??

Bulls are currently top of the Superleague table, albeit only alphabetically.

I doubt very much they will be top at the end of the season, and would take some convincing that they are good enough to finish in top 4



Actually, since I wrote the paragraph above, I've changed my mind. MacNamara hasn't a clue, and they will finish 6th at best.

Usual comments from a new signing. You would hardly expect him to say that they will struggle to make the play-offs.

Well whats he supossed to say? "I dont think we are going to do well this year"?

Must be the best joke to come out of "Northern" in years

Tbh it's no real surprise that their New signing is making such claims.
Whilst they have signed plenty of new players and Orford is still a good player they are far from top 4 material imo.

Can't see the Bulls finishing above sides like the Rhinos,Saints,Wigan,Hudersfield,Hull KR and Warrington to be honest.
Orford is a very talented player,and he will have to be to get owt out of their backline

There is a difference between doing well and claiming that your team will be top four especially as they didn't qualify for the play offs and apart from Orford I haven't seen them sign anyone that makes me think he's a good player wish the Rhinos had signed him, not that we would have signed Orford
McNamara seems to be signing Aussies on reputation rather than age , they will have at least three maybe four players well into their thirties
TOP FOUR NO WAY !!!!!!

He's a good signing, but it'll take a hell of a collective improvement on last years efforts to make that sort of progress.

Top 6 should be a possibility though, and I'd like to see them competing at that level.

Of players aged 30 or above I can think only of the following in the Bulls squad:

matt orford 32
andy lynch 30
steve menzies 36
danny sculthorpe 30

Of those only one is well into his thirties and he happened to be one of the best performers in SL last year.

Personally I think top 4 is out of our reach. The Bulls could finish anywhere between 6th and 10th IMO depending on injuries, luck and whether the failings of last year have been addressed.

Last year the side showed they were capable on their day of beating St Helens, Leeds, Huddersfield and Warrington who losts of people think will set the pace in 2010. The trick is for us to manage a level of consistency and avoid the more dreadful performances we put in

Beat me too it.

'Im signing for Bradford for the money, we are looking to squeeze into the play offs'

I agree. You've made some very handy signings. You were a long way off the top teams last term though on a consistant basis and when it counted but i think you are shoe in's for top 6. On a seperate note sadly for the English game they are all overseas signings but same can be said of most teams on that note.

Back end of the season we were playing at a level that - on a consistent basis - should have given us a decent shout at the top 4. Trouble was, for much of the rest of the season we were playing at a level that deserved bottom 2

I have a suspicion Stuart Reardon will prove to be a far most astute signing than most are allowing, tbh.

I also suspect that the deals for the two younger Burgii may prove to be the most astute of all.

And I am quite optimistic about a top-6 finish - we may even make the 4 IMO if we hit the ground running, the three-quarters play out of their skins and we have a bit more luck than last year with injuries. Although I'd feel a bit more confident if we had signed one more - and quality - three-quarters, since (as every man and his dog has observed) we hardly look world-class in that department...

Feel free to write that down someplace - at least we'll be clear what I have to eat humble pie over, if it transpires my optimism proves to be bollox!

If your first 17 stays injury free Bradford should end up around 4th or 5th in my opinion, the problem will come if you get a long term injury to anyone since you seem very light in terms of squad depth.