LOGHAN Lewis is feeling the love once again as Bradford are back in the big time.
After 12 years which saw the four-time Super League winners and three-time world champions fold, be reformed and work their way up from the very bottom, the Bulls return.
Expansion of Super League to 14 clubs saw them elevated alongside Toulouse and York to replace Salford as they headed to liquidation.
Stuck in the middle of all the promises, plans, unpaid wages and piling debts which eventually saw the Red Devils go under was Aussie prop Lewis.
Now he is free of that nightmare, he just has rugby to concentrate on, and the passion is back.
“It took the love out of the game,” Lewis admitted. “Knowing what was going on, every day was tough to get up and go to training.
“We had a very tight-knit group at the start, but then as players went on their own way, it was hard to stay happy.
“And being from Australia, I don’t have anyone over here to support me over here. It was hard to not know what the future was going to hold, especially in the late stage of the season – that was hard.
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“We had games every week that we still had to get ready for, so I just tried to focus on who my team-mates were going to be that week and how well we could perform.
“Some players met only on the day of a game, but the positive out of that was I met so many good blokes. I made so many friends throughout that year, so you always take the positive out of things.
“And coming to Bradford – a club that’s ready, and ready for Super League – has been a big lift.
“You can see how big, especially the early 2000s, Bradford were and that’s painted everywhere when we’re at training and around the stadium.”
Lewis, 23, is among familiar faces at Bradford as coach Kurt Haggerty and team-mates Ethan Ryan, Joe Mellor, Jayden Nikorima, Esan Marsters and loanees Rowan Milnes and Dan Russell also moved to Odsal from Salford.
Life back in Super League begins at Hull FC today and Lewis hopes to impress one fan more than when he flew from Australia to watch him last year.
His father trekked halfway around the world to watch him return from long-term injury, only for him to get knocked out in his very first challenge and ruled out!
Lewis added: “He tried to act like he didn’t care, but deep down I can tell he did. He kept mentioning it.
“I was devastated. I wanted him to watch me play a bit more than 30 seconds, but he’ll be back this year. Hopefully I’ll give him a few more minutes!
“But Kurt’s very detailed, very one-on-one and there’s no grey area. You know what he wants and he makes sure of that.”