Bradford Bulls have confirmed that seven players will leave the club at the end of the season, upon the expiry of their current contracts.
With the Bulls now more stable in Super League, they are looking to improve not only their starting 13, but their depth too.
They have already brought in Sam Eseh from Wigan and Cameron Scott from Wakefield ahead of next year, whilst contract extensions have been handed out to Ryan Sutton, Joe Mellor and more.
One man who we knew would leave Odsal was Guy Armitage, after he confirmed the news himself via social media.
Armitage took to TikTok to reveal that a decision had been made in the lead-up to the game against Leeds Rhinos, which he scored in.
Now, six other players have been confirmed to depart, with two of those being overseas quota players.
Dan Russell, who is currently battling a nasty eye injury, and Mitch Souter, who is out for the season with syndesmosis, will both need to find new clubs for 2027, as the side looks to go in a different direction.
Half-back duo Joe Keyes and Chris Atkin will also move on to pastures new. Keyes has struggled with a back injury all season, whilst Atkin joined the club from Castleford Tigers on a permanent, but short-term, contract.
Bulls stalwart Sam Hallas will see his time at Odsal come to an end. Hallas is by far the most experienced Bradford player on the list, having played 166 games, with his first coming in 2017.
Lastly, loanee Ed Chamberlain will depart to return to parent club Hull FC, as he continues his rehab on a foot injury.
Commenting on the departures, boss Kurt Haggerty said: “There’s a great analogy we use in camp where we talk about soldiers and they’ve all been really good soldiers.
“They’ve all worked extremely hard, they’ve helped fight the cause for this year, with it being our 1st year back in Super League. What I did say from the first day I came to the club was for any players we knew we wouldn’t be keeping moving forward, I would let them know as early as possible so they can either sort an opportunity at another club or effectively go back and find work.
“I wanted to be open and honest to give them that opportunity to find something instead of waiting until the deadline on August 31st, so we’ve done it as respectfully as we can. The conversations are always very difficult, but as we’ve always spoken about, there are no grey areas at this club. We’re very open and honest, and the lads have been first class responding to the news, and I think that has shown in their performances over the last couple of weeks.”
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Bradford Bulls left with two contract decisions ahead of 2027
The released list is only an ‘initial’ one, with the club still needing to make decisions on a number of players.
Forward Phoenix Steinwede is without a deal for 2027 as it stands ,after only joining the club in March.
With him being a quota spot, the Bulls will need to factor that in to their decision-making.
The last player off-contract is Riley Dean, who joined the club from Oldham in May.
