Bradford Bulls have announced the signing of London Broncos prop Emmanuel Waine with the Papua New Guinea international heading to Odsal next season after penning a two-year deal.
It’s another big statement of intent from Bradford who are flying high in the Championship and have made numerous signings for 2025 already, including former Hull FC man Jayden Okunbor.
The Bulls announced the signing of Waine in a statement released on the club website with the PNG powerhouse set to link up with his fellow countryman Kevin Appo who recently extended his deal until the end of the 2026 season.
What makes the signing more impressive is that Bradford has claimed that they ‘saw off’ Super League competition to sign Waine, who was dominant in the Championship during London’s 2-23 promotion campaign.
The 27-year-old has only played four games in the 2024 Super League campaign for the Broncos due to a string of injury issues, most recently featuring in Round 18 against Leigh Leopards.
Bradford Bulls announce Super League capture
Credit: Imago Images
A statement on Bradford Bulls’ website confirmed the arrival of Waine for 2025.
It read: “Bradford Bulls are delighted to announce we’ve seen off competition from Super League sides to secure the signature of Emmanuel Waine on a two-year deal from the start of the 2025 season.
“The 27-year-old Papua New Guinea powerhouse impressed in the Rugby League World Cup held in 2022 – earning a move to London Broncos in 2023. The Bulls would like to thank the Bradford Bulls Squad Booster Association for their support.
“Having been awarded the man of the match on debut, Waine played a key role in the Broncos’ Grand Final success and subsequent promotion to Super League.
“He links up with fellow Kumuls star Keven Appo, who recently signed a new two-year deal to extend his stay at the club until the end of 2026.”
What Eamon O’Carroll said on star signing
Credit: Imago Images
Bradford Bulls head coach Eamon O’Carroll added: “I am really pleased and excited to be able to bring in someone the quality of Emmanuel. He is a really powerful individual who breaks tackles, he’s doing that in Super League and looking at his stats he’s really competitive,” said O’Carroll, who is sponsored by M&S Combustion Ltd.
“He has the ability to play middle and back row, so he adds more depth and I am excited to bring him to the club, he’s moving up with his family and he will add another dynamic to our team. He has great balance in everything he does, he is destructive when he carries, he has great leg speed and power and defensively he wants to hit people hard.
“He will fit in to what we are trying to do here and he has the ability to play on an edge, he’s really threatening there too and he is a well rounded player who wants to get better as well.
“We started talking with Emmanuel early which helped [see off Super League competition], he has great ambition to play in Super League but he’s on board with the journey with us, it is a really exciting one and I am sure he will become a fans’ favourite.
“That was appealing having another threat similar to Kev in the team, he will suit how we want to play. We have not got going the way we want with our attack so it is important we bring in recruits that are going to suit that and help our attack evolve.”
