Bradford Bulls players feel 'disrespected'

Bradford Bulls joint captain Matt Diskin says the players feel 'disrespected' at their treatment by the club's administrators.

A meeting between the two parties on Tuesday was cancelled at short notice.

Diskin told BBC Look North: "Everybody is feeling quite emotional. The lack of communication is quite disrespectful."

Meanwhile, administrator Brendan Guilfoyle is hoping for an extra fortnight to try to prevent the club going into liquidation.

The former Super League champions were placed in administration last week after directors failed to secure the £1.2m investment needed to complete the season.

On Monday, Guilfoyle took the drastic step of making the club's entire coaching and backroom staff redundant to shave £50,000 off the monthly wage bill and keep the club running.

Diskin was aggrieved that players had turned up for a scheduled meeting with the administrators on Tuesday morning only to find out it was not taking place.

"We've all turned up with the impression that we were meeting Brendan Guilfoyle to find out some more news but 10 minutes beforehand we found he's not given us the courtesy of turning up," he said.

"We've heard rumours right, left and centre and some of them have come to pass now. It's very frustrating from a player's point of view to lose people we have worked very closely with over the last few years."

Guilfoyle had said a new buyer for the club needed to be found by Friday, putting this weekend's match against London Broncos in doubt.

But the Rugby Football League has promised to advance him the £200,000 needed for the players' wages.

The arrangement would give Guilfoyle until 19 July to find new investment.

"They have said they will let us have the money if it is directed towards wages," he told a meeting of 500 Bradford fans on Monday.

"They are very supportive of what I'm trying to achieve."

Despite the administrator's bid to keep the club running the match against the Broncos this weekend could still be in jeopardy as hooker Diskin says that the players have been locked out of the training facilities.

"We turned up today ready to train. Everyone has got their kit but there's nobody turned up," the former Leeds Rhinos man added.

"There is a game scheduled for Sunday but in all honesty how can we fulfil that fixture without any coaching staff? We're not allowed in the gym because of health and safety reasons.

"I hope we can play the game but it's going to be very hard without any staff in place."