RELEGATED BULLS cannot expect an 11th hour reprieve after the T&A learned there were no plans to rejig the Championship to keep them in it.

Rumours have persisted that the Rugby Football League could introduce structural changes to their league set-up which would see the former Super League giants spared from dropping into the third tier next season.

Bulls head coach Geoff Toovey wanted clarity on the situation following their 26-10 defeat at home to Toulouse on Sunday, which mathematically confirmed their relegation.

It is understood that the RFL board are meeting towards the end of this month and will discuss the current structure and plans for 2018 and beyond.

But an informed source has told the T&A that all new structure proposals being considered do NOT include an option that would keep Bradford in the Championship.

Dropping into the third tier of the domestic game just over a decade after Bulls were crowned world champions represents a rapid fall from grace.

But many Bulls fans and pundits believe they should have started the current season in League One following liquidation in January, rather than the new club being put into the Championship with a 12-point penalty and reduced central funding.

Survival at that level has proved a task way beyond them and the feeling among supporters is of a wasted season rather than one in which more positive foundations could have been laid at the step below.

While accepting there were valid arguments for the Bulls to start in League One, the RFL cited the close proximity to the start of the season - which was less than a month away - as an important consideration and the subsequent impact such a decision would have with fixtures having already been planned.

A statement from the RFL at the time read: "While a number of alternatives were considered, the Board were most mindful of the planning already undertaken by all other clubs in the competition structure, the season tickets already advanced purchased by the supporters of the club and the sport and the players and staff who will now be seeking employment in and around the sport in 2017."

With the exception of red-hot promotion favourites Toronto, League One is made up solely of clubs operating on a part-time basis.

Bulls have yet to announce their plans in that respect, with a hybrid part-time/full-time squad an option they may consider.