Bradford Bulls have announced their fourth recruit for 2027, bringing in Warrington Wolves forward James Bentley on a three-year deal.
Bentley will join Kurt Haggerty’s side ahead of the new season, signing until the end of 2029.
He will join Sam Eseh (Wigan), Cam Scott (Wakefield) and John Bateman (North Queensland) at Odsal in pre-season, as recruitment continues to heat up at the West Yorkshire outfit.
He joins Bateman specifically in returning to his former club, having made his senior debut for the Bulls in 2016, aged 18, in an 82-0 win over Oldham.
The back rower joined St Helens after his first Odsal exit, and played a major part in three consecutive Grand Final-winning seasons between 2019 and 2021.
He joined Leeds in 2022, losing to Saints in the Grand Final that year, before a switch to Warrington came for season 2026.
Haggerty’s side is shaping up nicely for next year, with a number of contract extensions already confirmed as well, with the likes of Ryan Sutton, Caleb Aekins and Joe Mellor all tied down.
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Bradford Bulls confirm fourth recruit ahead of Super League 2027
Speaking after signing with the Bulls, Bentley said: “I am buzzing at the opportunity to come back to Bradford and get to play where it all started.
“Now the club is back in Super League, it makes it extra special, and I want to come back to win trophies and bring silverware back to Bradford.
“With where I am at in my career, when the opportunity to come back came around it was something I wanted to do. From speaking to Kurt [Haggerty] and Brian [Noble] and hearing where they want to take the club, it really excites me and made me want to be a part of that.
“There are a lot of quality players coming back to the club and with the direction the club is going in, it is an exciting time. I have learnt a lot in my career so my role will look a lot different, I will be coming back to be a leader and to teach some of the younger lads who are in the squad.”
Boss Haggerty added: “I’m extremely pleased to be bringing James back to the club, he is another serial winner we’ve got over the line.
“He’s another Bradford boy, he’s ultra-competitive, he wants to win every moment he’s involved in, and he certainly suits our narrative of the scrappers. He is a player that has played in and won big games, so he is going to add a lot of value on and off the field.
“We’ve done a lot of homework around James regarding his intensity in training, we obviously know how he plays within games, and ultimately the feedback we have received has been first class.
“I know exactly what he offers on the field, I won’t be trying to pull anything back in regards to how he plays either, I understand the way he plays and he sometimes plays on the edge but that is not always a bad thing.”
