BRADFORD Bulls head coach John Kear was never the biggest fan of dual-registration in rugby league and says the system would never have worked in the middle of the current coronavirus pandemic anyway.

Kear has just spent an enjoyable week on holiday in the Yorkshire Dales with his wife, but has still kept up to date with the latest big news within the sport.

The dual-registration system is going to be replaced by (initial) 28-day loans for 2021, where players will not be allowed to return to the bubble of their parent club during that period.

All of this means Bulls’ 2020 dual-reg deal with Hull FC, agreed in January, will not continue into next year.

Giving his thoughts on the matter, which is going to hit some Championship and League One clubs who have had long standing dual-reg deals hard, Kear said: “They’re (the RFL) scrapping it for a valid reason.

“You can’t just have players jumping from one bubble to another.

“If we’d have continued our deal with Hull, then normally they’d have been training over there in the early part of the week then spending the other part of the week with us, which you can’t do at the moment and won’t be able to for a while.

“The loan system will be altered, as that also normally involves spending part of the week at your parent club, but obviously you need to stay in one bubble now.”

Kear also gave his thoughts on the proposed RFL autumn tournament, which was due to begin this month, but never got off the ground.

Only four teams, including Bulls, wanted to play, and with the government abandoning plans to allow spectators to return to elite sport, it was not plausible anyway.

Discussing the Bulls’ decision to provisionally take part, Kear said: “All we could do was what we felt was correct, which was to enter it.

“As it’s worked out, it couldn’t take place anyway as we’d have needed spectators.

“What I would say though, it’s a mystery to me how we’ve seen some indoor sporting events go ahead with socially distanced spectators.

“With that happening, I can’t understand why outdoor sports, with all the space we have in stadiums, can’t do the same.

“But otherwise, I understand why the tournament didn’t go ahead and ultimately, the health of the people involved has to be the priority.”

The next possible games for Bulls may be around Christmas time, with it being mooted that traditional Boxing Day and New Year’s Day matches could be played in front of fans to boost both revenue and interest within the sport.

It remains highly unlikely given the current coronavirus situation, but Kear has not given up hope just yet.

He said: “That could be great if it comes off. But obviously it’s tough to see exactly where we’ll be at with the virus at that point, as the situation is changing day by day.

“We’d be keen and want to be involved if those games did go ahead and we’d play against anybody, local rivals or not.

“We’d see it as good preparation for the 2021 league season and we’d all love a bit of respite from everything that’s been going on.

“We’d be available and willing, but only if spectators were allowed in, otherwise it’s not financially plausible.”