BRADFORD Bulls have appointed Brian Noble as head coach for the 2025 season.

Noble was the Bulls boss at the height of the Saints v Bradford rivalry in the noughties, including the memorable 2002 Grand Final and the two matches where Ian Millward's Saints were rebuked for fielding weakened teams.

The 63-year-old former Great Britain coach enjoyed a successful spell in charge of the Bulls from 2001-06, when he won three Super Leagues, three World Club Challenges as well as a Challenge Cup.

Noble returned to Bradford as a consultant in 2023 and will now step up for the next Championship campaign.

Noble told the Bulls' official website: "I am really excited, I've been a part of what's been going on behind the scenes for 18 months and you have to say we're on an upward trajectory.

"There's lots that has been done but there's lots still to do and we need to be careful because there's lots to lose as well, that's the reality of it all.

"The only reason I came back to help out initially was on the back of trying to get Bradford Bulls back to Super League. That's my only mission. That's my only dream, not only for the people of Bradford, but for the club itself."