REACTION | BRIAN NOBLE

Brian Noble's post-match thoughts are brought to you by Anytime Couriers...

Q: Brian Noble, is that a tough defeat, tough result to take, another semi-final defeat here against Toulouse Olympique? 

Only in respect of, I think, we damaged ourselves in the second half with the game in our hands and we just couldn't find the composure to keep it in our hands. It's not taking away from anything that Toulouse did. I think it was one of those stories that we've seen a couple of times this year that the second half certainly we just weren't at the races as well as we should have been with what we'd achieved in the first half.

Q: Is that the most disappointing aspect of today, the fact that you're leading 16-0 at half-time and you've ultimately not been able to continue that and reward what was probably a near-perfect first half? 

Yeah, it was disappointing that we couldn't back our effort up and we bombed a couple of tries. We dropped the ball over the line, two-on-one strip, all of those things that happen in semi-finals. In the main, we didn't defend as well as we did in the first half and we can dress it up as much as we want. We let Toulouse back into the game and they play well at home. They were always going to come with some vigour in the second half and there were certain things that we weren't doing in the first half that we ended up doing in the second, which cost us dearly. 

Q: What was the message at half-time, Brian? I know obviously you've got a game plan, but did going in 16-0 shock surprise you?

It was surprising. I thought we were totally dominant in the first half. I think we all knew that Toulouse would have a vigorous response and we just didn't go with it and that's the disappointing thing about the game. I thought we started the second half soft and that cost us in the end.  

Q: I've just asked Sylvain this question, he's obviously given them the riot act at half-time, three minutes after the restart, Oli Ashall-Bott scoring which then fuels their belief and confidence. I'm kind of guessing that first three four minutes of the second half Brian totally went against everything you'd spoken about probably five ten minutes earlier? 

Yeah pretty much but they're humans and there are human frailties in there, we couldn't expect to just keep going the way we were going we knew there was going to be a response from Toulouse and we didn't go with it for long periods and even when we got with it we managed to self-harm either with a dropped ball or a penalty just at the wrong time to get them to the right end of the field. Listen I'm really really proud of our efforts not just today but this season but there are some stark lessons there for whoever takes it on next year and it's been an unbelievably good group of people, some of which won’t be here next year and I think that's the saddest thing about it you know our fans travelled again and we bring a lot to anywhere we go to and today we just didn't bring that final result. 

Q: Fair to say, Brian, the white flag never once was waved and even with five minutes to go when Matty Gee gets the ball to Jayden Okunbor for his second try, you still had a chance, you still had opportunities. 

At the end of the day, the difference is two goal kicks and that's not pointing the blame at anybody about the goal kicks but we had a couple of chances on the right that we should have executed, a couple of chances in the middle that we could have done a whole lot better, but it's just ifs and buts now, isn't it? We’re out of the competition, which is really, really disappointing for us but when somebody reflects on the season, it's been a fantastic season with some fantastic performances and we just couldn't quite get the result today, coming to Toulouse.   

Q: I know it's still quite raw for you, Brian, but that sort of inability to deal with opposition pressure, what does that say about the strength, the character of the side, if you catch where I'm coming from? 

Well, it's the difficulty of part time-ism. They're a full-time team, so they can get to fix things up every week at their leisure. I'm pretty confident under a full-time environment, the Bulls will be a whole lot better than we've been this year, and we've been awesome at times. We have had that propensity to damage ourselves and get involved in stressful games and we're hugely disappointed. All the players in there are very disappointed, you can imagine that. They gave their all again, it's not an effort thing with this team you get the effort and it's a great group of blokes, but sometimes you've got to be more ruthless with your mentality and we weren't. 

Q: Zac Fulton had to leave, I think, in the last quarter with a HIA. How much of a blow was that, Brian? 

Huge. He's been our best player all year, to my mind. I thought both back rows were great again. You look at that first half performance, it was on the back of what they were doing, to Toulouse. We went away from it and we got stressed and we just couldn't find that little bit of control that we needed for a five, ten minute period where if we'd have just been content to just kick the ball, as we did in the first half, we'd get try-line fever and make decisions that in the end didn’t help our team. It's the modern game you know you've got to be able to complete and finish in certain areas and put the ball in certain areas and you can't just pass your way out of trouble. 

Q: You've been involved in many games as a player, as a coach, Brian. It ultimately was full-time against part-time, Toulouse, rest, rewarded for their second-place finish. How much of a factor did that have on in that second half that they've overturned that 16-point lead? 

Well, I think Sylvain would have had a few words with them as well because they weren't helping themselves either, but I thought we were totally dominant in the first half. Is it full-timeism? Is it that belief the part-time hasn't? The travel that we've had, a lot of lads have worked last week and had to take days off work so they're losing out there. All of those considerate factors come into it but I think we're disappointed with ourselves because we thought we had the game won and maybe that mentality got us in the end. 

Q: Now the game's been and done, Brian, obviously you've been here a third year in a row how much pressure do you feel was on you on the players on the club to sort of make it third time lucky? 

Well there's always that pressure but that's professional sport. I think what the board of directors and the chief executive and everybody throughout the club should recognise and right throughout the football department there's been absolute progress every year for the last three years both on and off the field the club's in a great place. Is it ready for Super League is probably another question but I think so. We would have liked to have gone to a grand final just to push the people that are making that decision a little bit more but I think the club is in a healthy situation, it's in a healthy state. We've got a good new head coach coming in and he'll plump the joint out, I'm confident he will. It's been an absolute blast for me, but we just brain exploded in the second half. I don't know what else to say. 

Q: You had big decisions to make regarding team selection. Are you happy in your mind that you got those right? Because obviously you had probably, in my opinion, the strongest 21-man squad that you've had at your disposal this year. 

Yeah, and I think we got selection right. Did some people play the way we wanted them? Probably not, but that's the risk and reward scenario that you go through. When I look at the game next week, as I will, you'll be able to circle certain things that cost us. It's probably individuals doing what they haven't been doing for the whole season or what. But as for the selection of the team, yeah, I think we've got that right. 

Q: I know this is sort of a reflective question, Brian, but when you look at the whole season, do you feel you've sold yourself short in any way? 

Yeah. I think we've underperformed in some big games and we've been beaten by two or four points in all of those big games so it's a bit of a tough measure I think it took us a long while to recognise what is successful for us and we showed in the first half that's what was going to be successful for us. That's the element of part-timism again and then we just couldn't put it if we'd have put it together today we'd have been sweet but maybe that big game, importance of big games and a little bit more ruthlessness maybe amongst themselves. This team has massive potential, if it was to stay together, you'd be very, very confident next year, wherever it was, that it'd do well because they've learnt lessons the hard way and they'll sit and reflect. We've reflected on Michael Lawrence and Chris Hill retiring, you don't get many opportunities and they said that in the changing room. Michael Lawrence has been an outstanding captain for this club for three years. Outstanding, truly intelligent, thoughtful, insightful and I couldn't have any more high words of praise for him. Chris Hill's come in at the back end. This group have been a fantastic group. There’s been some good players over the last three years but this group has been and the fact that we just couldn't quite get it over the line today is probably they'll be reflected as the nearly men what I said to them in the changing room.

Q: Just on Chris Hill, Michael Lawrence,  Chris 21 years Michael 19 that's 40 over 900 professional games between them how sort of when you look at the end you know the guard of honour and everything and the emotions you know these are our two rugby league you know stalwarts you know who've had two stellar careers 

Absolute legends and they both played their part in the game today. They're still very, very good rugby players. I'm sure this club, the Bulls, would love to have them both 10 years younger now to take them forward into whatever journey they're going on. I just think the club has reinforced the values that it stands for now. Effort first and foremost and then being a good bloke is really important to me and to the club and a good woman. We’ve had a super staff and a super group of players and we just stumbled at the final furlong. Stumbled, which is disappointing because the way that we stumble is the thing that will hurt us the most. We didn't get beaten by the better team, I don't think. I think we contributed to our downfall. 

Q: You're going to step away, take the head coaches away cap off now Brian what does the next week, next few weeks and ultimately months look like as a role being given to you because obviously the new head coach Kurt Haggerty is coming in? 

Yeah I have a great relationship with the board and with the CEO and if they want me to hang around and do something I'm pretty confident I'll be around. I know Kurt, I was on the interview panel for whoever took the job over. I think the job is in good hands. I'd really, really like to see Lee Greenwood involved because I think he's done a magnificent job this year. I have no particular plans other than to probably get myself back into the UK, have a couple of beers, have a reflection. It's been a blast. I've enjoyed it. It's good. 

Q: I was just going to say a final question, Brian. Obviously, you answered the club's SOS this time last year when Bradford had lost and Eamonn O'Carroll had the offer from St Helens. I know you probably can't do this justice right now, but when you reflect on the 12 months and off-field, on-field progress, I know tonight and now might not feel like on-field progress, but there has been progress. How can you sum this sort of second coming of Brian Noble at Bradford up? 

Well, it was on the back of a phone call from Nigel Wood a few years ago. Come and have a look at what we’re doing. They did some decent fishing in the rivers of life kind of thing, so they got me hooked. They got me hooked back in Red, Amber and Black, which I grew up with and I played for and then coached really, really well. I genuinely think, I've said it all year, there's a pulse back at the club, which is the thing that keeps us all going and I have enjoyed it. Has it been tough sometimes? Yeah, of course it has, but I've had an absolute champion in Lee Greenwood, so I think we've worked well together. You're right, you're absolutely right. The performance has got better, it's measurable. The big game scenario hasn't got better, but it's got closer, and it was a totally different reason that we lost today than we lost previous games in the playoffs, so much was our doing. There will be a few bloats kicking stones out there from our team, understanding we've missed an opportunity to play the final next week. I wish Toulouse all the best. But I think we'd have gone okay in the final as well. I just think that the Bradford Bulls, for all the right reasons, I hope they're in Super League next year.