Winger Ethan Ryan has returned to boyhood club, Bradford Bulls, ahead of their return to Super League in 2026.
The 29-year-old has agreed a three-year deal to return to Odsal, and will look to play a key role in their first top flight campaign since 2014.
Making his Bulls debut in 2016, Ryan went on to make 98 appearances for the club, scoring 88 tries before exiting ahead of 2020.
One of many Bradford players to make the switch to Hull KR that off-season, he joined the likes of Elliot Minchella and Rowan Milnes, who has also returned to the Bulls for next year, in joining Craven Park.
After six years away, he will be wanting to use the experience he gained whilst away from the club to help the Bulls become an established Super League outfit once again.
The club hosted a launch night earlier this week to not only reveal their new home kit for 2026, but for fans to meet new signings, as well as witness another arrival in former Wigan and NRL man Ryan Sutton.
Ryan spoke to BullsTV ahead of the event, with the winger believing he has returned home and is back where he belongs.
“It does [feel like home], yes,” he said. “[I was here in my] scholarship days, academy days, then into the first team. I think probably a total of seven years if you add all them up.
“It’s a big part of my rugby league career. It feels like I’m coming somewhere back home and I’d sort of label it as that myself.”
Commenting on what it means for the club to be back in the top flight, he added: “It’s massive. Ever since I went into the first team at Bradford, it was all about getting Bradford back where they belong.
“Obviously, when I left, the club was in a bit of a sorry state. They’d left Odsal, the running of the club weren’t going so smoothly and since then, it’s been a complete U-turn in the six years that I’ve been away.
“The club’s in a much better position. We’re ready for it. We’re ready to go, we’re training hard and we’ve put a really good squad together and it’s exciting.”
Ryan, who labelled himself as one of the older players in the squad, believes it’s a fresh change for him and hopes that he can help the next generation of Bulls players come through and develop. Working under many different coaches in his time away, he believes that will only benefit him going forward.
He said: “I’ve learned a lot. I’ve been at two clubs but during my time at them two clubs I’ve had probably had, off the top of my head, four head coaches, and you learn a lot from each of them them you have and obviously they all come with their assistant coaches, different ways of playing, and at the highest level in our country I’ve sort of been playing under different people and learning a lot.
Bradford Bulls recruit ready for Leeds Rhinos derby to return
One thing that comes alongside the Bulls’ promotion to Super League is that their rivalry against Leeds Rhinos can be continued.
The last time the two played a competitive fixture against each other was in 2019, where Bradford stunned Leeds in a shock Challenge Cup win.
Ryan was part of the Bulls squad that day, so he knows all about what it’s like to feature in such a historic and meaningful fixture.
Asked what match he is looking forward to most next year, he said: “Well it obviously has to be the derby.
“The derby is back and it’s the big one, for me, as a Bradford supporter and a Bradford player.
“That’s the one you keep your eye out for. It’s like being when I was at Hull KR, you’d look out for the FC derbies.
“They are the best rounds, They’re the ones you remember. They’re the ones you enjoy most, and that’s the one I’m looking forward to.
“Leeds, like you saw last year, they go really well and stuff, so it’s a case of being ready for them and making it a really good spectacle to watch.
The two will face off in a pre-season friendly in January, as they have done in recent years, however the real rivalry begins when the pair meet in the league, where not only are two competition points on the line, but bragging rights too.
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