THE Bulls are hoping that the RFL’s £16 million government lifeline can start to ease the current period of limbo.

The club’s staff and players remain furloughed while the sport is mothballed.

Chief executive Mark Sawyer admits that the uncertainty will continue until the governing body can provide a framework to build from.

Key to that was the cash injection to safeguard clubs that was announced yesterday after weeks of lobbying.

Sawyer said: “Once people know that help is there and how much it will be, then that coupled with a ‘return to work’ structure will make it clearer what we can and can’t do.

“We need a framework that we can follow and then interact with the supporter base and the sponsors.

“Everybody has got their hands full personally as well and we just want to know what options we’ve got.

“We’re in limbo right now and we understand why.

“I’ve got a couple of volunteers helping me and it’s good that people have stepped forward with expertise in running the wage roll while our staff are furloughed.

“I know the staff would love to step forward and be doing stuff but they just can’t unfortunately. It’s essential that we have them on furlough so that we can afford to keep going.”

The Bulls were only four games into their Championship campaign when the shutters came down seven weeks ago.

RFL supremo Ralph Rimmer has informed clubs that any restart of the season, if declared safe enough to do so, is set to be behind closed doors.

That scenario, insists Sawyer, would cripple teams in the Championship without the government loan.

He added: “You couldn’t restart behind closed doors in the Championship without some assistance.

“You’d have all your costs again and nothing coming in. It’s blatantly obvious that you’d be in a spot of bother.

“We just don’t know what’s happening. But thinking sensibly, the most likely way forward is playing behind closed doors.

“But it’s no good starting the season and then half of the teams fall on their sword because they just can’t afford to keep going.

“You would be talking about substantial costs for putting matches on with nothing coming in.”

With France ruling out any sport before September, it is likely that Catalans and Toulouse would not be able to return in this year’s competition.

That may rule out relegation from Super League for this season – but Sawyer believes a team should still be promoted from the Championship.

“If we manage to play our fixtures, one way or another, there’s got to be somebody promoted.

“Some clubs in particular have invested heavily in wanting that option. It would be unfair to expect them to play matches and then nobody go up.

“Some of the arguments for a team not being relegated are more valid than they have ever been.

“In the past, there have been suggestions that nobody should be relegated just for wanting protectionism.

"I can see where they are coming from now but we’ve got to consider if we play matches in the Championship somebody should be allowed to go up. That’s what it is all about.”