Joe Mellor pens new deal
Bradford Bulls are delighted to announce captain Joe Mellor has put pen-to-paper on a new one-year deal to remain with the club until at least the end of the 2027 season.
The influential 35-year-old arrived in the off-season to bolster the Bulls’ ranks ahead of its return to Betfred Super League and made an instant impression.
Mellor played a starring role in the club’s impressive start, with three wins from our opening five fixtures.
Joe Mellor, who is sponsored by Fairway Roofing, said:
“I’m really happy to be staying, it’s been really good since I arrived especially coming back into Super League. It’s something that I think is good for Super League, Bradford being back in it as well. On a personal note, the way I’ve started the season with Bradford, hopefully moving forward I can continue to keep playing well when I’m back.
“The way we’ve started the season helped make my decision along with the team that Kurt has got in, it’s been really good. The lads that were here last year and the new boys that have come in this year, hopefully we keep progressing each week and each year to keep getting better.
“It is a new challenge [playing at 13], over the last few years I’ve changed a couple of positions from half-back to nine, now 13. I didn’t know how it was going to look, Kurt had it in his head how he wanted it to look and it has panned out that way. I’m just playing a half-back role in the middle, I have to make a few more tackles but I’m enjoying it. I’m loving playing the big minutes and just being in and around most of the action on the field.
“Yeah, it was massive [being appointed captain] and I’m really enjoying it. If you speak to most people you know I’m not the most talkative but I try and go on the field and just do my job the best I can. Leading them out at the first game against Catalans was pretty special and the Leeds game a few weeks back with nearly 15,000 is a mark of what Bradford are doing at the minute and hopefully we just keep progressing that.
“It’s a strange one really because when you’re out there and you’re playing, you don’t really take much in around you. When you run out, you kind of have a little look and see all these fans that have come back, which is a massive start for Bradford back in Super League.
“I think what Kurt’s got massively in his favour is he knows how he wants to play. He’s got his own style and he’s sold it to all the lads, I think you can see that when we’re playing. Leading into next year, we’ll probably recruit a few more lads too so we’ll just keep our playing style like how we started this season and hopefully just keep progressing.”
Bradford Bulls Head Coach Kurt Haggerty, sponsored by Sandy & Richard Monro, said:
“It shows how quickly the club are working with regards to recruitment for 2027, Joe has certainly earned a new contract with the club with his contribution so far as captain and leader of the team and there’s no better person to keep around the environment.
“It was a calculated risk putting Joe at 13, leading the team around from the middle instead of being on an edge or at hooker but I think it’s worked really well and he has complemented the team.
“He is a silent leader, as a team we follow his actions and he’s brought professionalism, hard work and an example of what a Super League player looks like to this club.
“It [2026 Tackle Count] shows his attitude towards working hard for the team, it shows his attitude to putting a Bradford Bulls shirt on and he epitomises everything we want this club to be about. We will reward consistency, if you have performed consistently you’ll stay at this club and you’ll earn contracts and ultimately we want to keep good people like Joe around.”