ROWAN MILNES IS BACK HOME!

Bradford Bulls are delighted to announce Rowan Milnes has put pen-to-paper on a two-year deal to re-join his boyhood club.

The 26-year-old graduated from the Bulls’ famed Elite Academy pathway to make his professional debut against London Skolars in 2018, going on to feature 20 times in the red, amber and black. 

Milnes’ early form saw him rewarded with a move to Hull Kingston Rovers, with the half-back spending 4 years at Sewell Group Craven Park, which included an appearance in the 2023 Betfred Challenge Cup final.

A move to Castleford Tigers followed for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, with five loan appearances for Salford Red Devils coming at the back end of the most recent campaign.

Rowan Milnes said:

“It’s exciting to be back, driving down here it felt like I was back home – it’s a nice feeling, it’s a really exciting time to be joining and I just cannot wait to get going now. 

“I grew up as a four year old lad on the terraces with my family and ever since I left I had the feeling I would end up back here one  day and having watched the good things being done on and off the pitch, when the phone call came with the opportunity to come back I grabbed it with both hands. 

“Coming back I cannot really put into words what it means. I’m passionate about this club and wanted to see it get back to Super League and hopefully we can have a good season. I watched the club for so many years and pulling that shirt on for the first time was special, now to be able to do it in Super League it’s the stuff I’ve dreamed of. 

“I worked with Kurt for a brief period at Salford and I was really impressed with his knowledge and how he delivers his messages. When I got the phone call saying he wanted me to come and play for him it gives me belief and I want to make sure I repay his faith with my performances on the pitch.” 

“I’ve been at a few clubs now and I’ve learnt a lot, it’s not all been plain sailing but I feel like this is the right club to get the best out of me and I haven’t shown my best yet. I’m still only 26, I’ve got loads of time so hopefully I can have a long and fruitful career here. 

“I always remember back to 2019 when we played Leeds and there were around 11,000 fans cheering us on, it makes such a difference. Without them we wouldn’t have won so hopefully we can attract big crowds now we’re back in Super League and hopefully our performances will draw more and more people in.” 

Bradford Bulls Head Coach Kurt Haggerty said:

“One of Rowan’s biggest strengths is the way he manages a game. On plays 4 and 5 he is one of the best in the competition when he’s on it and with the style of rugby we want to play a controlling 7 is really important because we’re going to have to calm sets down to finish the way we want to. 

“He’s a local lad who was desperate to come back and play for the Bulls in Super League. I worked with him at the back end of my time at Salford and got to see parts of his game I hadn’t seen and needed to see. He is also a fantastic young man, a really good bloke to have in the environment and we’re really excited to have him. 

“A big part of the conversation I had with him was we feel there’s a lot more to Rowan and hopefully I can help him unlock that with the style of rugby I want us to play, we certainly haven’t seen the best of Rowan Milnes yet. 

“Hopefully we can see a different side to him too, he’s a big boy who has a strong running game and there are certain details within matches I think I can help him with. 

“Part of our recruitment strategy has been identifying people from Bradford who have or can play Super League and what I have found is the badge still has a lot of weight, there are a lot of people who want to play for Bradford in Super League.”