Bradford Bulls have told six players they will not be offered a contract for next season, with the club sitting third from bottom in Super League and seven games still to play.

Head coach Kurt Haggerty confirmed the departures on 29 July, naming half-backs Chris Atkin and Joe Keyes, centre Guy Armitage, forwards Sam Hallas and Dan Russell, and hooker Mitchel Souter as the players who will leave at the end of 2026. (Bradford Bulls)

Atkin, 33, only arrived in March on a short-term deal and made 16 top-flight appearances. The others range from 25 to 34 and cover the spine and pack — the positions, in other words, that define how a rugby league team plays. A half-back orchestrates the attack; a hooker feeds the scrum and acts as the link man around the play-the-ball.

Bradford were promoted back to Super League last year and confirmed a 30-player squad for 2026 in January, but the step up has been brutal. Third from bottom with a third of the season remaining, the Bulls are now planning for 2027 while still fighting for their current campaign.

Haggerty said the club wanted to be "open and honest" with players rather than waiting until the RFL's 31 August contract deadline. "The conversations are always very difficult but as we've always spoken about, there are no grey areas at this club," he said. "We've done it as respectfully as we can." (BBC Sport)

The thinking is straightforward: telling players now gives them a window to find a new club before rival squads fill up. In rugby league, where contracts are typically signed and torn up within weeks rather than months, timing matters as much as the decision itself.

The announcement, titled "Bulls Confirm Initial Released List" on the club website, follows earlier squad turnover. Ronan Michael was released from the final year of his contract in April to pursue opportunities elsewhere, while Ed Chamberlain returned to his parent club Hull FC after a loan spell. Five players were also released in October following promotion. (Bradford Bulls; Bradford Bulls)

The word "initial" in the club's headline suggests further changes could follow before the season ends in late September. For a club of Bradford's stature — four-time Super League champions before financial collapse and relegation in the 2010s — simply staying in the top flight is now the priority, and Haggerty is reshaping the squad to give them the best chance of doing that.

Seven games stand between now and the end of the season. The six departing players still have those fixtures to play, and how they — and the team — respond will shape whether Bradford's return to Super League lasts more than a single year.