Sutton extends with the Bulls

Bradford Bulls have revealed that vice-captain Ryan Sutton has put pen-to-paper on a new two-year deal.

The prop forward became an instant fans favourite when first pulling on the red, amber and black – with his work rate and ability to do big minutes leaving a lasting impression on the Bulls supporters.

Ryan joins Joe Mellor, Connor Wynne and Caleb Aekins in committing his future to the club – with Sam Eseh also joining the club in 2027. 

Ryan Sutton has said:

“I’m really pleased, I’m glad we got something over the line eventually having had numerous conversations with Kurt and hearing the direction where he wants to take the club in the next couple of years. I knew coming here it was going to be a challenge in the first year but I also knew there were good things to come in the future so to finally put pen to paper I am excited.

“I can take my experience and what I’ve learned in the past to help, Bradford Bulls is a big club who’ve had a rollercoaster of a time before coming back into Super League so I just want to help people, that’s all I’ve done my whole life. I want to help get this club to a good place, I want to help get performances and wins and I want the club to take the next step.

“If I can pass on my experiences to others then great, I’ve been lucky where I’ve been at some great clubs, starting at Wigan going over to the NRL and had a really good career there. I’ve played with the John Bateman’s, Elliot Whitehead’s and against the Sam and George Burgess’ so I know just how big this club is. I want to take my experience and hopefully get this club from where it is to where I should be, I want to leave a legacy.

“I’ve always known I can play big minutes and I said that to Kurt, that’s the trust we have. We have conversations every day about where we want to go and he wants to take my game to the next level and I am still working on things. Kurt is always helping me, I’m not perfect but all I want to do is get better and learn.

“I give a lot of credit to my family especially my wife, without her I wouldn’t be here today. It’s been a very difficult ride over the last two years but with resilience and belief in myself and my family’s belief, I know I can do it. I had so many critics saying I should retire but I just love to prove people wrong. I am enjoying every minute at this club and I can’t wait to see what the next two years bring. 

“Kurt is the kind of coach who will tell you how it is, someone who is up front and honest and that is what you want. I respect Kurt and Carl Forster and Lee Greenwood, we have a good team here. You’ve got Sam Eseh coming in who’s another big power middle to add to the calibre we have already, it’s a bit of a waiting game but we’re still getting over 8,000 fans trusting us every week.

“When I’m standing in the tunnel ready to come out and hear the fans making noise on the roof it takes me back to the Canberra Raiders with the Viking clap, this place has so much heritage and potential and we have the owners and the CEO who want to make this place better and we as players want that too. I guarantee the more we keep this team together over the next two or three years we will go further. My dream is to win things with this club I don’t just want to compete, I want to win Grand Finals, World Club Challenges, Challenge Cups and I can see us doing that over the next few years that’s the reason I wanted to put pen-to-paper too.

Bulls head coach, Kurt Haggerty, also said:

“I’m extremely happy Ryan has re-signed with the club for another 2 years. Ryan has fully immersed himself into the club and the DNA of how we want to play. 

“He is a leader within our team and is desperate to bring success to the Bulls. This re-signing is another statement of intent and shows the ambition we have as a club to keep hold of our best players.”