Bradford Bulls boss Kurt Haggerty believes his club’s Challenge Cup tie against London Broncos is the “perfect preparation” for the upcoming campaign.
The Bulls travel down to the capital on Sunday, and will face the Broncos in front of the BBC cameras, in what is arguably the tie of the round.
London are the favourites for the Championship this season, after building a squad that is ready-made for Super League, much like Leigh Leopards and Wakefield Trinity have done in the past.
Jason Demetriou’s side have enjoyed wins over Widnes Vikings, Wests Warriors and Oldham in the season so far, and will now look to topple top flight opposition at their first opportunity.
Bradford, who are expected by many to be amongst the bottom-end of the table alongside fellow promoted sides Toulouse and York, couldn’t have been drawn against a harder opponent at this stage of the competition, with seeding meaning that Super League clubs are guaranteed a tie against any lower league side still left in the Cup.
However, Haggerty is not one to whine and moan about their adversity, and is instead embracing the challenge that is facing them this weekend.
The boss spoke to Serious About Rugby League earlier this week, and stated how this weekend’s game will be a great rehearsal of what is to come throughout 2026.
Asked if he thought his side had drawn the short straw in terms of Cup opponents, he replied: “No, absolutely not. I think it’s perfect preparation going into Super League.
“I’ve spoken to the team [and said] we’re playing a Super League game before we play a Super League game.
“They’re a very good team, they’ve got some very good players. They’ve spent a lot of money, so we’re really excited for the challenge that we’ve got ahead at London.”
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Bradford Bulls boss unphased by pressure of matching club’s illustrious historyÂ
The last time Bradford were in Super League, particularly in the early 2000’s, they were one of the biggest sides in the competition, and were successful season in, season out.
From 1997-2006, the club were four-time Super League champions, three-time World Club champions and two-time Challenge Cup winners, making ‘Bullmania’ one of the strongest forces in the sport’s history.
Now, the Bulls are in a completely different era, and are a long way from achieving that type of glory at this moment in time.
However, Haggerty said he doesn’t feel the pressure of the club’s past success, but instead would like to embrace that history and use it as motivation throughout the season.
Asked if he feels the weight of the club’s history on his shoulders, he said:Â “Some could say that. I don’t look at it that way.
“I just do my job, coach the team the best way I can, but I think it would be foolish of me to not respect or acknowledge our history.
“There will be moments within the season where we need to speak about it and we can lean on it and build a narrative, a story about it.”
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