Former Leeds Rhinos forward James Bentley will return to his first professional club, Bradford Bulls, next season.

The 29-year-old came through Bulls’ academy and had a spell with St Helens before joining home city side Rhinos ahead of the 2022 season. He was released by Leeds last October, just six months after signing a contract until the end of 2027.

The former Oulton Raiders junior is currently with Warrington Wolves and has penned a three-year deal at Bulls. He said: “I am buzzing at the opportunity to come back to Bradford and get to play where it all started. Now the club is back in Super League it makes it extra special and I want to come back to win trophies and bring silverware back to Bradford.”

He added: “With where I am at in my career, when the opportunity to come back came around it was something I wanted to do. From speaking to Kurt [Haggerty, Bulls’ coach] and Brian [Noble, coaching consultant] and hearing where they want to take the club, it really excites me and made me want to be a part of that.

James Bentley, centre of picture, celebrates during Warrington Wolves' win at Bradford Bulls last week. Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com.

placeholder image — James Bentley, centre of picture, celebrates during Warrington Wolves' win at Bradford Bulls last week. Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com.

“There are a lot of quality players coming back to the club and with the direction the club is going in, it is an exciting time. I have learned a lot in my career so my role will look a lot different. I will be coming back to be a leader and to teach some of the younger lads in the squad.”

Haggerty described Bentley as a “serial winner”. He said: “He’s another Bradford boy, he’s ultra-competitive, he wants to win every moment he’s involved in and he certainly suits our narrative of the scrappers. He is a player that has played in and won big games, so he is going to add a lot of value on and off the field.”

Haggerty went on: “We’ve done a lot of homework around James regarding his intensity in training, we obviously know how he plays within games and ultimately the feedback we have received has been first class. I know exactly what he offers on the field, I won’t be trying to pull anything back in regards to how he plays either.

James Bentley scores for Leeds Rhinos against Leigh Leopards in August, 2025. Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com.

“I understand the way he plays and he sometimes plays on the edge, but that is not always a bad thing. When you go to play in big games and you’ve got the likes of James Bentley, John Bateman and Zac Fulton in your back-row, it certainly adds some spice.”