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Bulls prop Vagana to retire

Bulls prop Vagana to retire
Bradford Bulls prop Joe Vagana will retire from rugby league at the end of the 2008 season, with this Monday's game against Hull KR set to be his last at the Grattan Stadium.

Vagana, who joined the Bulls in 2001 from Auckland Warriors and has spent eight seasons at the club, has made 239 appearances, scoring 19 tries and 1 goal.

Speaking of his decision to retire, Vagana said: “For a player it’s always hard to say when but I think the time is right for me now to make the ultimate decision. I have been at Bradford for eight years and a professional for fifteen and I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it but the old body is telling me to give it away!! We have some great players coming through here; players like Sam Burgess, Andy Lynch and Koppy and I just feel the time is right to hang up my boots and enjoy the game from the sidelines.”

Bulls Coach Steve McNamara paid this tribute to his Prop Forward: “Joe has probably been up there with Robbie Paul as the most significant overseas signing the club has ever made. In terms of overall contributions to the club both on and off the field, his presence is simply immense and there will be a whole host of players who will be glad to see the back of Joe Vagana, so they don’t have to play against him.

"He will be a great loss to the club on the field and also off it because of shear amount of work he has done for the club in that area. He has been a tremendous ambassador for Rugby League and for Bradford Bulls and for me personally – getting my first Head Coaches job – he has been a vital part of what I have done. To have had Joe Vagana in the organisation to help me along the way has been a massive bonus for me and I’d like to thank him personally for that. It goes without saying that we all wish him every success in whichever avenue he decides to take.”



Bulls Chairman Peter Hood feels that Vagana has been a fine example to everyone in the game.

“He will be sadly missed, not just for his often super-human efforts on the field these past eight seasons but, equally, for his contribution around the Club and in the Bradford community at large. Joe was given the sobriquet ‘Big Joe’ early in his Bradford career. An equally appropriate handle would have been ‘Gentleman Joe’, for Joe’s disciplinary record is one of the best, if not the best, on record for any prop forward in the modern game. As an example of how to play the game hard but fair, how to bring oneself to a winning team in the right frame of mind week in week out and how a professional player should conduct themselves on and off the field one need look no further than the one and only…Joe Vagana.”

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Stats

vs
Round: 27 Fri 3 Sep 20:00
vs
Round: 27 Fri 3 Sep 20:00
vs
Round: 27 Sat 4 Sep 16:30
vs
Round: 27 Sat 4 Sep 18:45
vs
Round: 27 Sat 4 Sep 18:45
vs
Round: 27 Sat 4 Sep 18:30
18 - 38
New Craven Park Sun 22nd August
52 - 4
The Galpharm Stadium Sun 22nd August
38 - 28
Grattan Stadium Sun 22nd August
40 - 28
The Jungle Sun 22nd August
10 - 36
Racecourse Sat 21st August
36 - 18
Halliwell Jones Stadium Fri 20th August
Pos Name P W D L Pts
1 Wigan 26 21 0 5 42
2 St Helens 26 19 0 7 38
3 Warrington 26 19 0 7 38
4 Leeds 26 16 1 9 33
5 Hull FC 26 16 0 10 32
6 Huddersfield 26 15 1 10 31
7 Hull K R 26 14 1 11 29
8 Castleford 26 11 0 15 22
9 Crusaders 26 11 0 15 22
10 Bradford 26 9 1 16 19
11 Wakefield 26 9 0 17 18
12 Harlequins 26 7 0 19 14
13 Salford 26 7 0 19 14
14 Catalans 26 6 0 20 12
vs
Round: Play Offs Thu 2 Sep 19:30
vs
Round: Play Offs Sun 5 Sep 15:00
vs
Round: Play Offs Thu 9 Sep 19:30
vs
Round: Final Sun 26 Sep
26 - 12
Recreation Ground Sun 22nd August
24 - 32
Cougar Park Sun 22nd August
72 - 20
Bigfellas Stadium Sun 22nd August
24 - 38
Sat 21st August
29 - 28
Don Valley Stadium Thu 19th August
14 - 32
Craven Park Wed 18th August
Pos Name P W D L Pts
1 Featherstone 20 18 0 2 56
2 Halifax 20 16 0 4 50
3 Leigh 20 12 1 7 43
4 Barrow 20 12 1 7 39
5 Widnes 20 11 0 9 38
6 Sheffield 20 10 1 9 35
7 Batley 20 7 0 13 29
8 Toulouse 20 8 0 12 27
9 Dewsbury 20 6 0 14 26
10 Whitehaven 20 4 0 16 16
11 Keighley * 20 4 1 15 10
vs
Round: Play Offs Sun 5 Sep 15:30
vs
Round: Play Offs Sun 5 Sep 15:00
vs
Round: Play Offs Sun 12 Sep 15:00
vs
Round: Final Sun 26 Sep
18 - 48
New River Stadium Fri 27th August
32 - 24
South Leeds Stadium Sun 22nd August
16 - 26
Spotland Stadium Sun 22nd August
94 - 0
Sedgley Park Sun 22nd August
46 - 12
Keepoat Stadium Sun 22nd August
16 - 18
Sun 15th August
Pos Name P W D L Pts
1 Hunslet 20 18 0 2 55
2 Oldham 20 17 0 3 52
3 York 20 12 0 8 39
4 Blackpool 20 15 0 5 38
5 Rochdale 20 10 0 10 37
6 South 20 9 0 11 34
7 Workington 20 8 1 11 33
8 Swinton 20 9 1 10 33
9 Doncaster 20 8 0 12 28
10 London 20 2 0 18 10
11 Gateshead 20 1 0 19 -2
25 - 24
Bloomfield Road Sun 18th July
18 - 48
Cougar Park Sun 20th June
4 - 25
Leigh Sports Village Thu 17th June
6 - 42
South Leeds Stadium Sun 6th June
26 - 16
Mount Pleasant Sun 6th June
32 - 6
Cougar Park Sun 6th June
Pos Name P W D L Pts
1 Dragons 23 16 0 7 205
2 Wests 23 15 0 8 37
3 Panthers 23 14 0 9 118
4 Titans 23 14 0 9 19
5 Roosters 23 13 0 10 39
6 Warriors 23 13 0 10 39
7 Sea Eagles 23 12 0 11 41
8 Raiders 23 12 0 11 4
9 Rabbitohs 23 11 0 12 31
10 Broncos 23 11 0 12 -25
11 Knights 23 10 0 13 -40
12 Eels 23 10 0 13 -64
13 Bulldogs 23 8 0 15 -51
14 Sharks 23 7 0 16 -217
15 Cowboys 23 5 0 18 -232
16 Storm 23 13 0 10 96

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