When he joined the Bulls from London Broncos during the winter, Luke Gale could not have foreseen the meltdown that has driven the club to the brink of liquidation.

Not in a million years.

He believed he was coming to a fallen giant that had hit rock-bottom, at least on the pitch, and was ready to become a respected force again.

In that sense, he was right. Under Mick Potter’s astute guidance, the Bulls have made a massive improvement on last term and shaped up as genuine play-off contenders. But off the pitch, their future hangs by a thread.

Gale will face his former club at Odsal tomorrow and says the players are ready to shelve the uncertainty surrounding the club and their own careers once more for what could be Potter’s last-ever game in charge.

“Coming off the back of a massive win like that at Wigan last Friday, and then to come in on the Monday and the coaching staff get sacked, it’s tough to take and I don’t think they deserved it,” said the scrum half.

“The administrator has the final word but thankfully Mick and his staff have agreed to coach us for this weekend’s game.

“It’s a tough time for everyone right now – but we’re professionals and we’ve got to deal with stuff like this and hopefully collect another two points on Sunday, even if it does prove irrelevant.

“We don’t know how many points we will be getting deducted for entering administration but the boys will be as professional as we always are when we go out on the pitch.”

Despite an early-season injury setback which sidelined him for two months, 24-year-old Gale has since returned to showcase his undeniable quality.

His kicking game and organisational skills have come increasingly to the fore in recent weeks and he should not be short of offers should the Bulls be forced out of Super League.

The former Leeds Rhinos academy player said: “That’s for my manager to sort out but I’ve not even thought about it. I just want Bradford to stay afloat because it’s a massive club.”

Gale has discussed buying a house with his partner but those plans have been put on hold due to the Bulls’ financial crisis. It remains to be seen whether the players will be paid their wages as normal on July 14.

Gale explained: “The financial guys from the RFL gave us some advice on Tuesday. Obviously some of the guys are worried about paying their mortgages and things like that, as you would be, as we’re not sure whether we’re getting paid or not.

“Personally, I was just thinking of getting a mortgage with my partner in the last couple of months. We were looking to get our first house together.

“We’ve had to put it on the back-burner due to the financial troubles here, so the club’s situation has come at the wrong time for me.

“But it’s come at the wrong time for everybody. We’re one big family and no-one wants to get split up or for it to end like this.”