Bradford Bulls have confirmed the signing of Esan Masters, following months of speculation he was joining the club.
The Cook Islands international will reunite with Kurt Haggerty, after the pair worked together at Salford Red Devils.
Able to play in the halves or at centre, Marsters offers great utility value and will be one of the more experienced players in the Bulls line-up.
Initally joining Super League in 2023, the 29-year-old represented Huddersfield Giants for two seasons before making the move to Salford.
He currently has 66 appearances to his name in the UK, with 23 of those coming at the Red Devils. Despite picking up a shoulder injury that ruled him out for just short of two months, he finished the year joint third for most appearances, just one behind Harvey Wilson and Justin Sangare.
Marsters is an 86-time NRL player, and featured for Wests Tigers, North Queensland and Gold Coast between 2017 and 2022. He is also a six-time Kiwi international, and after switching allegiances to the Cooks, has represented them 13 times, with his most recent appearance coming in their World Cup Qualifying game against South Africa, where he scored a try and kicked three goals.
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Bradford Bulls sign international star from Salford Red Devils
Commenting on his move to the Odsal outfit, which is a three-year deal, Marsters can’t wait to continue his rugby league career in the UK, especially now that he has a chance to be back working under Haggerty.
He said: “It’s an exciting time for us as a club, meeting the boys today was a great feeling. They’ve all been really welcoming and I’m looking forward to putting on the jersey for the first time and playing my game.
“The familiarity knowing some of the boys and Kurt already was one of the reasons I signed here. I really like the way Kurt coaches and the way he goes about his business, he is straight to the point which is good for a player.
“I’ve seen him speak about the way he wants us to move the ball and have a high defensive system, we did that at Salford, so it is an easier transition for me to play that style. It’s a style I like to play too, for the Bradford fans it will be a bit more exciting with ball in hand with the players who have been brought in adding strike to the players who have been here a while. I am really excited for the way we want to play and how we want to defend.
“There is so much quality in the team, we have players from different systems and Kurt is a straight shooter who lets you know whether you’re going right or wrong and that is what I like about him but it is clear the boys have done really well over the last few weeks.
Haggerty, likewise, can’t wait to once again work with Marsters, following their year together at the Red Devils.
He said: “Esan is a player that has been chased by numerous Super League clubs and NRL clubs, so to actually get him over the line to play for the Bulls is a massive acquisition for us. He’s talented, he’s got unbelievable footwork and his defence is very, very solid, he’s a player that will certainly excite the Bradford fans.
“I’ve used this statement two or three times which is probably a statement of where we want to be at, this is another statement signing for the club. I’m looking forward to Esan pulling on a Bradford shirt.”
