Jason Hirst, the CEO of Bradford Bulls, has called for calm amid recent fan ‘frustrations’ over the club’s perceived lack of recruitment.
Such frustrations are perhaps uncalled for given that the Bulls have signed six players for 2027 whilst also turning loanee Jack Ormondroyd into a permanent signing, with that tally of seven recruits ranking them behind only Catalans, Hull FC, and York Knights – the latter of whom have turned three loan players into permanent recruits.
To date, the Bulls have signed Sam Eseh (Wigan Warriors), Cam Scott (Wakefield Trinity), John Bateman (North Queensland Cowboys), James Bentley (Warrington Wolves), Ligi Sao (Hull FC), and Nathan Connell (Widnes Vikings), but in an open letter to the Bradford fans, CEO Jason Hirst has confirmed more signings will come.
Hirst argued that some of the perception, which he’s described as ‘frustrations’, around a lack of signings owes to the fact that Bradford announced all six of their new recruits before the end of the 2026 season, something he explained the Bulls did to ‘remain in control of our recruitment communications’.
“The downside to that,” he added, “is that some people get frustrated, as we didn’t have a new signing to make when we launched our 2027 season tickets, last week.”
Hirst has admitted that will change in 2027 when tickets launch ahead of the 2028 season, but he has confirmed that more signings are coming.
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Bradford Bulls CEO explains squad status ahead of 2027 Super League season
There is one clear area that the Bulls need to recruit in given that they’ve seen all of Riley Dean, Chris Atkin and Joe Keyes leave the club, and that’s in the halves to offer some depth.
Hirst admitted that was the case, as he said: “As I say, more new signings will be announced, but only when we have them and are able to announce. We clearly and obviously know that we need more competition and depth in certain positions e.g. Half Back.”
However, he explained that the recruitment process can be long, requesting fans to trust Kurt Haggerty, Brian Noble and himself to conclude that business efficiently.
The club CEO also confirmed how the squad is looking at present, announcing: “We have a 1st Team squad of 30 players, all of whom, bar one, have played Super League. Indeed, after tomorrow, 5 will have played in Super League and/or NRL Grand Finals, with 4 having played in World Club Challenge finals and 2 in World Cup finals.”
Those Grand Finalists, on either side of the world, are James Bentley (St Helens, Leeds Rhinos and soon to be Warrington Wolves), Ryan Sutton (Wigan Warriors), John Bateman (Wigan Warriors), Waqa Blake (Parramatta Eels) and new signing Cam Scott, who will represent Wakefield Trinity on Saturday.
That experience is paired with all those who haven’t quite made Grand Finals but boast 100s of Super League appearances, such as Joe Mellor, Ethan Ryan, Andy Ackers, Ligi Sao and others, with the Bulls standing in a strong position ahead of season 2027.
✍️ | CEO Jason Hirst has issued an open letter to all Bradford Bulls supporters…
📲 | Read: https://t.co/CUDvSyw2kZ#UnleashTheBulls pic.twitter.com/LQSWZrbj03
— Bradford Bulls (@OfficialBullsRL) October 2, 2026
