Bradford Bulls legend Brian Noble on his role in awakening sleeping giant and why Leeds Rhinos game is so important

The 61-year-old's place in Bradford folklore is secure after serving the club with distinction as man and boy.

Noble enjoyed a long spell with his hometown club in his playing days before overseeing the golden era of the early 2000s as head coach.

He could have been forgiven for wanting to protect his legacy when the fallen giants sent an SOS last year but such is his love for the Bulls, Noble jumped at the chance to rejoin the club on a consultancy basis alongside new head coach Mark Dunning.

Noble has played down his role in the set-up despite having an important hand in Bradford's eye-catching recruitment for 2023.

"I've been promoted from consultant to chief bottle washer," joked Noble, who has had spells with Wigan Warriors, Crusaders, Salford Red Devils and Toronto Wolfpack since his reign at Odsal.

"I'll turn my hand to anything. I'm at the club pretty regularly, every other day if not every day.

"I like to keep in touch with the football side, which I'd regard as my level of expertise.

"I've got a lot of miles on the clock in building clubs and making sure that clubs are working properly, both on the football side and the transition to the administration.

"I've never been one for a title; I'll do what's needed. I certainly don't want Mark Dunning to make the same mistakes I made as a young coach, so I can help him there and maybe advise who should be coming into the club and who shouldn't."

The Bulls have fallen on hard times since the glory days, which yielded four Super League titles, three World Club Challenge wins and two Challenge Cups.

Bradford are still emerging from the financial wreckage but there is fresh optimism after getting the likes of Jack Walker, Bodene Thompson, Michael Lawrence and Keven Appo on board for the 2023 Championship campaign.

Noble has teased further additions in the club's pursuit of a long-awaited return to Super League.

"It's an anomaly," he said. "We've actually reduced the budget but have got a better squad, in my mind.

"The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Nobody has punched us back yet.

"We can all play fantasy football now and talk about who has got what – but the bottom line is you have to do the fundamentals really, really well, specifically at the start of the year when the weather and grounds can be a factor. You have to dig in and understand that you have to defend and kick the ball as well as play footy.

"We're still on the lookout for a couple of players and hopefully we can get them before the season is too old. I'd be disappointed if we weren't bashing it out with everybody else (for promotion)."

The feel-good factor generated by Dunning faces its first major test this weekend when the Bulls travel to Headingley for their final trial game.

"Creating the right atmosphere is one of the challenges of being a head coach," added Noble. "He's certainly done that but as I say, nobody has punched us back yet.

"We'll get a measure of where we're at on Sunday. It's a big fixture, not just because it's a Leeds-Bradford fixture but because it's the first time we've had a proper hit-out.

"The quality of the squad, there's plenty in there to win a lot of games.

"This year, watch the Championship. That's no disrespect to Super League but there will be eight or nine clubs fighting it out.

"This is a cracking division. It has skill, it has the intensity rugby league needs and it's raw.

"If you've got aspirations to be in Super League, you're a chance this year. Your attitude and what you're prepared to sacrifice are the two things that will get you up near the top."

For now, a pre-season friendly is as close as the Bulls will get to the Rhinos, at least in the absence of a plum Challenge Cup draw.

Noble still gets the same sense of excitement two decades on from the peak of the rivalry.

"The historical aspect and the heritage side of what Leeds have done to their stadium and seeing the field brings memories flooding back," he said.

"It reinforces to me how badly needed the Leeds-Bradford fixture is for the game of rugby league. As a Bradfordian, you just want to beat Leeds at tiddlywinks.

"This particular fixture for me and many, many, many Bradfordians – and Leeds folk – is why they watched rugby league. There were record attendances not so long ago.

"Whether you can get back to those halcyon days, I don't know – but I like the thought of the Leeds-Bradford fixture being back on the agenda, even in this capacity.

"For those of us who have been involved with it for 30, 40, 50 years, it brings a tingle to the back of the neck."