Bradford conversion is too late for Paul

Bradford Bulls chairman Chris Caisley, so often an outspoken critic of rugby union, happily jumped into bed with the rival code yesterday. Caisley will chair a new sixman board following Bradford's takeover of union club Wakefield and his only regret was that the move came three months too late to keep Henry Paul in the 13-man code.

Paul was lured away to union with Gloucester after the Tetley's Super League Grand Final last October. Caisley said: 'I know I have been a critic of union but, with the benefit of hindsight, maybe we could have kept Henry Paul in rugby league.

'If we had had an involvement in union before now, certainly at Premiership level, he might still be with us.' Bradford follow Leeds, Wigan and St Helens in establishing links with a union club and Caisley admitted one of the reasons for jumping on the takeover bandwagon was to try to stop the player-drain to the rival code.

But Caisley dismissed any possibility of this latest takeover leading to a one-code game and also suggestions that Bradford would fund Wakefield's bid for Premiership status.

'If it is going to cost a fortune to get Wakefield into the Premiership, the money will have to come from new investment. We have never had a Sugar Daddy at this club.' Cynics will suggest that the takeover is one way of getting round rugby league's salary cap restrictions - reduced to a maximum of £1.8million this year - and of Bradford getting their hands on a £2.4m pay-out from union if Wakefield make it to the Premiership. The Bulls admit they resent new RFL restrictions on player-recruitment at junior level and the scrapping of the Alliance League. Combining with Wakefield gives them a whole new area to develop talent at both codes.

And there is more to the takeover than that.The Bulls, who will be rugby league's world club champions if they defeat Australia's Newcastle Knights at Huddersfield next month, need to protect their long-term interests and high ambitions.