Ryan eyes Rivals Round Glory

Bradford Bulls’ return to Super League has already made people sit up and take notice, but for Ethan Ryan, tomorrow’s Rivals Round clash offers a chance to see how far his side have really come.

A Good Friday Derby against Leeds Rhinos at Bartercard Odsal is more than just an ordinary fixture. It's a revival of one of rugby league’s fiercest and oldest rivalries, played out in front of a resurgent Bradford crowd and with renewed belief inside the Bulls camp.

“It’s been a positive start. There were quite a lot of people writing us off at the start of the season and writing off the newly promoted teams as a whole really,” Ryan said, who re-joined the club for 2026.

“People underestimated the newly promoted teams, but they’ve all managed to get a couple of wins on the board, and we could have even had a couple more.

“Overall, we’re happy, and if you asked a lot of people if we’d be in this spot coming into Good Friday and the Derby, they would have snapped your hand off for it.

“We had a really good pre-season – a tough intense pre-season. We play a certain brand of rugby, we’ve got certain systems to go by, and everyone buys into that really well. It’s clear to see on the field.”

That belief has been matched off the pitch, too. Bradford’s return to the top flight has brought a renewed sense of occasion to Odsal, with crowds building and momentum gathering around a club determined to re-establish itself among the elite.

Bullmania is well and truly back with a bang!

“In the home games we’ve played, we’ve been averaging about 10,000 people here each time and it’s like an occasion every time,” Ryan continued.

“We’ve got music acts coming to perform and things like that, so it’s been a real spectacle for fans to come to.

“The fact that we’re performing on the field and the club are doing things off the field is great – it’s getting people through the door.

“It feels like there’s a real hype around Bradford again and it’s great to see so many people at Odsal again and it’s only going to get better this Friday with the local derby.”

And that sense of anticipation is not new. Ryan knows exactly what a clash with local rivals Leeds can mean, because he has lived it before.

Back in 2019, when Bradford were muddling through life in the Betfred Championship, they stunned the Rhinos in the Challenge Cup in one of the competition’s most memorable upsets.

It was a day that reignited the rivalry and reminded supporters exactly what these fixtures can produce, as the Bulls edged a 24-22 thriller and booked their place in the quarter finals.

“I’ll always remember that game,” Ryan explained. “It goes down as one of my favourites to this day.

“I remember where I was when the draw got made - in the front room with my wife, and I remember saying, ‘I’d love Leeds, I’d love to get Leeds at home’, and the draw got made, and I was jumping around my front room, because obviously back then with Bradford being in the Championship and Leeds in the Super League, there hadn’t been a derby for years.

“I was so happy. At the time, Leeds weren’t going so well and we were having a decent year in the Championship, and we knew that it was a big possibility that we could get one over them on that day.

“I just remember the build-up in the week with John Kear. If there's any man in rugby league who can get you up for a cup tie, it's John.

“He sat us all down and asked us what it meant to us, and the full group opened up to each other.

“There were some people in our group like Jordan Lilley’s and Sam Hallas’ who had been at Leeds before, and it meant a lot to a lot of people in that room.

“I remember walking out the tunnel having goosebumps and just thinking ‘wow, this is incredible’ because I think Odsal had about 10,000 that day, and it was so good.

“The game itself is still a bit of a blur. I just remember probably the tries because that's what I've rewatched over the years and that full-time whistle when everyone just went crazy. It was a great sight and it was actually my birthday weekend as well when we did that, so the celebrations were good after!”

Seven years on, the stakes are different - but the feeling is strikingly familiar.

The old foes meet again, only this time, it's a new chapter.

With Bradford back in Super League, a genuine Rivals Round contest awaits, with both sides looking to make a statement in front of a bumper crowd.

“I’m excited for Good Friday. Bradford are back in Super League and it’s a fixture everyone will have looked at when they first got released and circled it in their calendars.

“Everyone gets excited, because you look at some of the games they've produced over the years.”

Indeed, Bradford-Leeds matches have long been synonymous with rugby league’s biggest stage. It’s 12 years since the former champions last met in Super League, and Ryan has many memories of watching this iconic derby growing up. 

It’s a fixture simply filled with nostalgia - and one that often carried the intensity and stakes of Grand Finals or Play-Off places.

“I'll always remember when I first got into rugby, and I started supporting Bradford – my first memory of the derby is that infamous kick that Leeds took from the half-way line. It hit the crossbar and the full chase were offside but the referee still gave the try. I have so many memories of the derby from being a young supporter.”

Ryan is referring to their controversial 2007 Magic Weekend clash - just another chapter in a rivalry rarely short on drama.

“It’s good that it’s back and it’s good for Super League.”

Bradford are aware of the tough test that lies ahead when they welcome a rampant Rhinos side to their fortress, but are more than ready to raise the bar.

“Leeds have some really dangerous players but we’ve done a lot of preview on them. We’ve had a really good week in training, and I think everyone is just excited now.

“There’s a little bit of a nervous energy around the group, but everyone’s locked in and wanting to perform well.

“We’re raring to go, so hopefully it’s a really good day and we can get that Rivals Round win.”

Will Good Friday’s Bradford-Leeds Derby deliver a modern classic?

Are you ready for Rivals Round? Round 7 of the Betfred Super League gets underway with a blockbuster triple-header on Good Friday (live across Sky Sports and SuperLeague+).

All games will be broadcasted live, and fixture information can be found here.