Bradford Bulls are preparing for their first season in Super League in over a decade, and with that comes the return of rugby league’s greatest sporting rivalries.
The battle between the Bulls and Leeds Rhinos has been one of the sport’s greatest derbies for decades, with many major finals contested between the two and even more historic fixtures across the years.
Since the turn of the 21st century, the two clubs have battled it out in a competitive fixture on 53 occasions, including the 2000 and 2003 Challenge Cup Finals and the 2004 and 2005 Grand Finals.
Their most recent competitive meeting came in 2019, as the Championship Bulls pulled off an almighty shock to beat the Rhinos at Odsal Stadium.
A crowd of over 10,000 witnessed the 24-22 victory, as Leeds were sent crashing out of the Cup in what was Richard Agar’s first game in charge of the Headingley outfit.
Six years have passed since that game, with many players moving on to pastures new. Ahead of the rivalry returning in 2026, we have taken a look at how that Bradford team looked that day, and where the players are now.
Bradford Bulls’ 17 the last time they beat Leeds Rhinos – where are they now?
Full-back: Ethan Ryan
Ryan is one of four players that featured in the victory that will play for the club in 2026.
Leaving at the end of that season, he spent four seasons at Hull KR before moving to Salford for 2024 and 2025.
He has now penned a three-year deal at his hometown team, and will look to add to his 98 Bulls appearances.
Wingers: Dalton Grant and David Foggin-Johnston
Grant was one of four try scorers that day, as he received a cut-out pass on the right edge to score. Like Ryan, he also left the club at the end of that year, and joined London Broncos between 2021 and 2023.
After moving away from the game, Grant is now a DJ, and has set up his own business.
Foggin-Johnston, meanwhile was in his first season at the Bulls, and stayed there until the end of 2023.
Finishing with 62 appearances at the Odsal club, the 29-year-old has recently returned from a two-year ban for anti-doping, and will line up for Keighley Cougars next year.
Centres: Jake Webster and Ross Oakes
Former Hull KR and Castleford man, Webster, is an eight-time New Zealand international, and spent only the 2019 season at the club.
Another try scorer, the 42-year-old is now a member of the Huddersfield Giants coaching staff following a short stint as head coach of Keighley .
Oakes is a 93-time Bulls player, and has had stints at Sheffield Eagles and Midlands Hurricanes since his exit in 2021. He will remain at the Birmingham-based outfit for the 2026 season.
Halves:Â Jordan Lilley and Rowan Milnes
Lilley was a key man in the victory, as he helped the Bulls defeat his former team and reach the Cup quarter-finals. Now a hooker, he has departed Odsal this off-season, linking up with Sheffield Eagles.
Milnes will return to the Bulls now that their Super League status has been confirmed. The half-back earned top flight experience with Hull KR and Castleford Tigers, before finding game time with Salford on loan at the end of the season.
Props: Liam Kirk and Steve Crossley
Bulls academy graduate, Kirk, left the side at the end of 2020, and went on to have spells at four different clubs including Widnes Vikings and Sheffield.
He has recently agreed to move back to West Yorkshire, and will turn out for Batley Bulldogs next year.
Crossley was captain of the side that day, and would play for the Bulls in three different stints across his career. He retired from the game at the end of 2023, but has now returned to the club and forms part of the academy coaching staff.
Hooker: Sam Hallas
Hallas joins Lilley as being the only players to feature in the win to also play for the club in 2025, although he did depart for two years before returning in 2024.
Another try scorer on the day, he is now a senior figure at the Bulls, and penned a one-year deal earlier this year. He will hope to add to his two Super League appearances in his career so far.
Back-rowers: Elliot Minchella and Connor Farrell
Hull KR captain, Minchella, joined the Robins at the end of the 2019 season, and was another player who managed to get the win over their former club. He made 59 appearances at the Odsal outfit, and now has a contract at the Rovers until the end of 2029.
Farrell stayed at Bradford until the end of 2020, before retiring from the professional game. The younger brother of Wigan Warriors back-row, Liam, he is now a PE teacher.
Loose forward: Mikey Wood
The 29-year-old spent two seasons at the Bulls in 2018 and 2019, and made 51 appearances. After stints at Sheffield and Swinton, he joined Midlands Hurricanes ahead of 2025, and after signing a tw0-year deal will join Oakes in playing for the Canes next year.
Bench: Matty Wildie, James Green, Ross Peltier and Matthew Storton
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