JARROD Sammut admits a part of him wishes he was still a Bulls player after being denied a return to Odsal with Workington due to injury tomorrow.

The maverick stand-off was a popular figure during his two years at Bradford after being signed by Mick Potter ahead of the 2012 campaign.

He quit in February 2014 after the club had entered administration for the second time in 18 months and made the move to Wakefield.

Sammut eventually fell out of favour at Belle Vue and joined Workington last season before penning a two-year deal with the Cumbrian outfit.

The 29-year-old will miss out for Phil Veviers' men tomorrow after picking up a calf injury in training but said: "I loved my time at Bradford.

"There were probably a few dark days there but I would like to think we had a lot more good days.

"We were already a tight-knit group but I think going through administration in 2012 brought us even closer together.

"It brought the realisation that rugby isn't going to be there forever, so we started to get together a lot more outside of training and achieved some really good wins on the field.

"I remember we beat Leeds at Odsal in what was potentially the club's last-ever game. There were over 20,000 there and the atmosphere was the best I've ever played in, so that's my fondest memory.

"There was also a memorable win at Wigan a few weeks later, so it was the best group of lads I've ever been involved with.

"Success-wise, I thought we had the potential to go on to bigger and better things. We underachieved but there was a lot more going on than just on the field and the training paddock.

"Further down the line, Garreth Carvell, Nick Scruton and myself all left after the club went into administration again.

"Rugby players are pretty resilient and we take a lot – but when your family and livelihood is at stake, some things push us too far and we need to do the right thing by them.

"We could have stayed, and I think it would have been a completely different outcome for Bradford, but we all had families that we needed to put first ahead of ourselves.

"Not getting into Super League last year would have been a big disappointment for the Bulls – but I don't think Bradford will be down for long.

"They have got the history there and everyone around the world knows who Bradford Bulls are. They have still got some top players and I for one would have loved to have stayed there or even finished my career there.

"It wasn't meant to be but I've still got some great mates there and I want them to do well. I keep an eye on Bradford, and I love the place, but unfortunately at the moment for me, I'm on the outskirts rather than being in a Bulls jersey."

Sammut might have returned to Bradford last year after meeting with outgoing head coach Jimmy Lowes.

He said: "It was just a coffee and a friendly chat but I don't really know how serious it was because nothing ever materialised.

"Obviously I would have loved to have been back at Bradford and tried to keep in contact over the following months.

"But I don't know it if fell on deaf ears because I ended up at Workington, which I've really enjoyed as I rediscovered my form.

"They were just lacking self-belief last season when I arrived but the boys picked up massively and I think we won eight out of 11 games to stay up. That showed the potential we've got when we put our best foot forward.

"So far this year, we have struggled to rediscover that confidence, but we've got the talent. I think turning things around will come from hard work and wanting it more than the opposition."

Sammut met his partner Jessica during his time at Bradford and the pair live in Cleckheaton with their two young boys. He has a job in Workington's community department as he makes the six-hour round-trip commute to the Cumbrian outpost.

He said: "When I moved to Bradford, I was single and enjoying life, but shortly after I arrived, I met my partner and it has become a home from home for me now.

"Jardii is 20 months old and Jax is five months old and my partner's family are very close by. With me out and about all the time, I know that she is well looked after if she needs a hand with the boys."