The Game Caller 🗣🎙📻

Club Statement - Ken Davy.

“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐖𝐚𝐪𝐚 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞… 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧.” Can the Bradford Bulls make it back-to-back wins on Thursday night?

Kurt Haggerty says that it is an incredible achievement that the Bradford Bulls, Toulouse Olympique, and the York Knights are outside the bottom three positions of the Super League table after earning wins over the weekend. Kurt believes that although some people in the sport were quick to condemn the move to 14 teams, it shouldn’t come as a surprise (especially when many in the media were writing off the club) about how quickly the Bradford Bulls have adjusted to the full-time nature of Super League, demonstrating they can compete at this level. Haggerty confirmed good news that Zac Fulton and Dan Russell are all good to go for the visit of Wakefield Trinity to Odsal on Thursday evening. With Eribe Doro the only doubt, who is struggling with a calf injury. Doro will be given until kick-off to feature and will have his health and fitness assessed daily.

Waqa Blake with an important second-half score for the Bradford Bulls in their 30-14 victory over the Huddersfield Giants on Friday night.

Kurt Haggerty says that the Bradford Bulls’ 30-14 victory over the Huddersfield Giants was a significant win for the club after a very tough week, with Kurt describing it as one of the hardest periods he has faced in his role. Kurt said it was important for his side to respond to the Leeds defeat with improved effort and standards, and whilst admitting the performance was not perfect, it showed the group was moving in the right direction. The win last night was described by Haggerty as a “monkey off the back” because it was the team’s first away win in Super League, which had been a major source of frustration for the club. 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 👉 audioboom.com/posts/8926495-…

That second half of the Huddersfield Giants vs Bradford Bulls game lasted 61 minutes with both Kurt Haggerty and Jim Lenihan airing their frustrations on how long the second half was post-match. I counted seven video referee decisions that clearly extended how long the game was played, while I think most will agree that a half of Rugby League shouldn’t be taking over an hour to complete.

Reprieved, relieved, resilient. The Bradford Bulls have their first Super League win on the road in 2026 after a 30-14 victory over the Huddersfield Giants. The Bulls move up to 10th in the Super League table which is the very least they deserve.

Huddersfield Giants against Bradford Bulls on a boiling evening in West Yorkshire.

Good news for the York Knights with David Dickson and his family close to investing in the club. David Dickson is an experienced businessman involved in a number of partnerships in both the public and private sectors, at regional and national levels and cares deeply about Rugby League in York. David is also a leading figure in York’s business community, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year Honours list. He's already invested a significant sum into the York Valkyrie women's team, and now he aims to invest in the entire club operations and elevate York Rugby League to new heights.

Ian Nolan will strive to help deliver rugby league to bigger audiences after being appointed as the Rugby Football League’s new chief executive.    Nolan worked previously as a senior executive at Manchester United, leading the club’s global media network and overseeing record reach, engagement and revenues, before joining Science in Sport (SiS) as chief marketing officer.    During a 20-year career in the sports industry, he has worked with clubs, leagues and rights-holders around the world, including extensive experience with Yahoo Sports, where he negotiated the acquisition of Premier League rights.    Nolan replaces Tony Sutton who stood down as RFL CEO in September with Abi Ekoku and then, more recently, Rhodri Jones, Managing Director of RL Commercial, holding the role on an interim basis.    The 44 year-old will officially begin work on October 1 with Jones continuing until then.  RFL Chair and RL Commercial Chair Nigel Wood OBE said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Ian to the Rugby League.    “Amid a field of top-class candidates, he emerged as the person best placed to take us forward during a pivotal time for the sport.    “Ian’s skillset and vast experience in the global, digital market, including an influential seven years at Manchester United, will complement what we already have within the RFL.    “With his fresh ideas and dynamism, this appointment is the most significant as we continue to turnaround the sport’s fortunes and put revenues back onto an upward trajectory after the past few years.    “There is so much to be proud of in our game here with the best-ever Magic WKND just a few days ago – a brilliant occasion attended by more than 80,000 people - a case in point.    “Ian's appointment is the first step in a bold and ambitious new strategy; he has a wealth of experience in the growth and commercialisation of sports, media and sports rights, plus an impressive track record of leveraging digital, social and modern media platforms to accelerate growth into global markets.”

Lee Greenwood took the Bradford Bulls press conference and confirmed that Will Gardiner, Dan Russell, Zac Fulton, and Loghan Lewis have all put their hands up to play against the Huddersfield Giants on Friday evening. Lee also had a positive update on Esan Marsters with the news that the Cook Island International is back training and looks set to feature in the coming weeks. He also confirmed that whilst Alfie Leake and Cameron Bate have returned to Salford on loan, he says Mitch Souter remains an important player for the Bradford Bulls. The message from Lee Greenwood ahead of the game against Huddersfield is that he wants the players to channel their disappointment from the Leeds performance to prevent the season from fizzling out.

@GreenInFrance @camvarley05 I don’t disagree.

@camvarley05 @TheGameCaller As long as they finish higher than York they will be fine. If TO finish above York, Huddersfield and Bradford but still get kicked out then the whole thing stinks.

Based on what I learned at the Magic Weekend, the Huddersfield Giants should be safe for 2027. Director of Change Ralph Rimmer expects the Giants' score to rise, making them safe from relegation. As I reported months ago, the Super League won’t expand to 15 teams, there is no appetite to currently do so. That means one of three scenarios will play out in October: • London Broncos replace the York Knights (the most likely outcome as things stand). • London Broncos replace Toulouse Olympic (the least likely due to Toulouse also improving their IMG score). • London Broncos remaining in the Championship after not being able to overtake Toulouse or York on IMG points.

@kieransull123 Castleford will be safe mate.

@TheGameCaller You sure Cas aren’t in Trouble mick as you claim every year

@PhilipPalliste1 I merely asked the questions and got the answers.

If this is correct then it's the game caller running the crypt RFL.

The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) has secured a record-breaking $5.3 billion media rights agreement with Foxtel Group, Nine and Sky NZ, establishing the largest broadcast and media partnership in Australian sporting history. The seven-year agreement from 2028 delivers a substantial increase in annual revenue to the game, returns control of competition scheduling and structure to the ARLC, expands access for fans across key markets and creates new opportunities for growth in Australia, New Zealand and internationally. Under the new long-term partnership, the deals provide: •A seven-year term from 2028, to provide certainty for the future of rugby league. •A 90% uplift in cash received per annum compared to the current deal. •Foxtel will continue to televise all NRL and NRLW Premiership matches, including all NRL and NRLW Finals Series matches. •Nine will provide exclusive coverage of the NRL Grand Final and both Men’s and Women’s State of Origin Series and will simulcast three weekly NRL and NRLW fixtures. •Sky NZ will place over 130 fixtures on their free platforms to continue the growth of fans in New Zealand which has almost tripled in the last five years. •An innovative revenue sharing and marketing agreement on international rights with the Foxtel Group. •Season structure, scheduling and draws are now under the ARLC’s control. •A commitment from media partners to positively market and grow the game. •More stringent quality assurance mechanisms in relation to conflicts of interest. NRL Chief Executive Officer Andrew Abdo described the deal as a reflection of the unprecedented growth of rugby league and the confidence the market had in rugby league’s future.

@JacobWest575301 @WestYorksRL @DeadsetDalby gave him the deserved MOM vote.

@WestYorksRL Played well last nigt tbf

Ethan Ryan has been scoring tries for the Bradford Bulls since his very first game against the London Broncos in 2016. In yesterday's game he reached a very special milestone and try number 100 in the colours of the Bradford Bulls with this effort against the Leeds Rhinos.

Magic Weekend 2026 has been the most successful in history with 82,925 people watching games at the world-class Hill Dickinson Stadium and Castres. It’s good to see supporters voting with their feet and attending one of the most attractive and enthralling events of the Rugby League calendar. Nigel Wood is often unfairly criticised by many but he is the creator in chief of the Magic Weekend concept and what he devised 20 years ago has turned into a Super League and NRL domestic highlight. Everton FC and Liverpool Council have been superb hosts and it’s exciting to see Rugby League and Everyon FC welcome the greatest sport back here for Magic’s 20th anniversary next season. There's a lot to be positive about regarding the sport's direction tonight.