Former England prop Garreth Carvell has stopped getting stressed over his move to Bradford Bulls.
The veteran front rower left Warrington Wolves after October’s Grand Final, with Challenge Cup winners and Super League runners-up medals safely tucked away, for a fresh challenge with the Bulls.
Within a month of signing a two-year deal last June, however, Bradford revealed they were unable to pay the players’ wages on time and that was the first sign that all was not well under the new regime.
The Bulls eventually admitted they would have to find major savings after unearthing a £400,000 black hole in their budget for 2014 and hinted at the sale of players.
After 13 seasons in stable environments of Leeds Rhinos, Hull FC and Warrington, it all came as a shock to the 32-year-old Carvell.
“I’ve never been in a situation like this,” he said at the club’s pre-season media day at Odsal. “I was very stressed and worried, to be honest.
“But the new board have been up front and honest with us. They’ve explained things to us and what needs to happen.
“The boys here who have been through this before just take it in their stride. I’m learning a few things off those people. If they’re not worried, I can’t be.
“No player wants to leave and, even if they did, it’s so late in the day that clubs have more or less got their squads and they’ve spent up to the cap.”
Bradford chairman Mark Moore, a member of the new-look board alongside fellow directors Ian Watt and Andrew Calvert, is confident they can turn around the club’s fortunes.
“There is a huge amount of work still to be done in terms of securing the long-term future but we are working extremely hard to ensure it soon becomes a stable business,” Moore said.
“We are not out of the woods just yet but I am more than confident with the team I have in place. We will get this club back to where it belongs.”
Carvell, who went on England’s 2010 Four Nations tour to Australia and New Zealand, is seen a key member of coach Francis Cummins’ bid to bring back the good times to Odsal and cannot wait to lend his vast experience to the cause.
“It’s a very young squad,” he said. “It’s definitely a challenge, especially with the limited squad that we’ve got.
“It’s something I’m looking forward to, playing with a new set of guys and great set of guys as well.
“All the turmoil that is going on seems to have galvanised everybody, which is another reason no one wants to leave. You don’t want to let your mates down.”