Returning Sam Barlow deserves the chance to resurrect his rugby league career according to Bradford coach John Kear.
Former Scotland international Barlow has completed a four-year suspension after he admitted assaulting a UK Anti-Doping Agency official in July 2015.
The case went to Bradford Crown Court and saw Barlow ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work on top of his UKAD ban.
That suspension recently expired and Barlow returned to training on trial with hometown Halifax, one of his former clubs along with Sheffield and Leigh. But it is the Bulls he has penned a one-year incentive-based deal with, and veteran coach Kear is confident he can recapture his best form at the age of 31.
Kear said: “There was Super League interest in Sam before he committed his wrong-doing, and his goal is to get back towards that.
(Image: Tom Pearson/Bradford Bulls)
“If he did then we’d profit along the way because we’d have a very good rugby league player.
“My belief as a human being is that people make errors in life and they should be given a second chance. That’s my belief as a coach with rugby league players as well, and this is a good opportunity for Sam that I think the club can benefit from greatly as well.
“We know he’s been out for four years and will be rusty, and I would describe him at the moment as being generally fit but not rugby league fit. I think we’ll see the best of Sam seven or eight games into the season.
(Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
“We’ve got to get him battle-hardened, and he’ll play in at least three pre-season matches. He will take time to get back up to speed with the hurly-burly of competitive games, and it’s a matter of us managing him and helping him so that by the mid-point of the season he’s firing again.
“He brings something different to our middle channel and hopefully that will make us difficult to play against.”
Barlow could feature in the Boxing Day friendly with Super League Castleford and is relishing the chance to return to the sport.
He said: “I have an opportunity thanks to John and hopefully I can repay his faith on the field. I have had a few tussles with Bradford over the years and now I want to start enjoying myself and progressing to being influential out on the pitch for the club.”
