Kurt Haggerty insists he has given no consideration to the idea of Thomas Doyle becoming a full-time member of the Bradford Bulls squad after returning to the club on loan.
The hooker has returned to Odsal initially for a week from Wakefield Trinity, having played for the club between 2019 and 2022 before leaving to play for Keighley Cougars.
He has missed the entire season through injury but after a successful return to action in Wakefield’s reserves side, he will now get a Super League opportunity with Bradford this weekend against Hull KR.
The 27-year-old is off-contract at the end of the season and with Mitch Souter’s departure now confirmed, there is potential for the Bulls to recruit in that area, but Haggerty insists that hasn’t been considered.
“Do you know what, I didn’t know he was off contract,” Haggerty said. “There you go.
“I didn’t know that. Listen, we’ll just take it this week. If the kid goes well and we’ve got the opportunity where we can keep him and where you feel comfortable for us to keep him, I’ll certainly consider it.”
For now, Doyle’s focus is on helping Doyle flourish during his week with the club.
“Thomas needs some game time. We’ve got Andy Ackers playing a lot of minutes at the moment.
“Obviously, we’ve got Mick Souter who’s out for the season. So, yeah, it made sense. He’s played at the Bulls before. He knows what it means to the fans and what it means to play for this club. So, yeah, it was a bit of a no-brainer for us really. It’s only for a week and then we’ll review it from there.
“Obviously, it’s difficult when you’re looking down the long route because it’s purely down to other clubs’ availabilities. But also when his name had come up, I’m very selective and hesitant to bring people in on loan. I have been all season. But when his name came up and the affiliation he’s had with the club before, it kind of made it a lot easier for me.”
Haggerty added: “He’s played a couple of reserve games after his injury. So no, he doesn’t have to come in and play two minutes because we’ve still got Andy Akers. So no, that’s no concern of mine.