Chairman Chris Caisley has hit back at criticism of Bradford Bulls' decision to rest ten senior players for tomorrow's visit to Hull in their last match before the play-offs.

The RFL have confirmed the club are risking a heavy fine by fielding a weakened team.

But Caisley says: "These players are not machines. They have been battling away carrying injuries for several weeks while we still had a chance of finishing second.

"We have players needing surgery at the end of the season and this is our one and only chance to take them out of the firing line.

"No one is saying anything about the fact that St Helens will have two extra days' preparation for the match with us next Friday because they played last night."

Rugby Football League director of rugby Greg McCallum confirmed that the Bulls could face a fine if they are found to have flouted the rules.

"Section three of bye-law 23 states that clubs must field full-strength teams in all games unless they provide a satisfactory explanation," said McCallum. "If a satisfactory explanation is not given, the board of directors or an advisory board can deal with them."

Leeds were the last club to be punished for fielding a weakened team. They were handed then-record fines of £8,000 and £12,000 (half suspended) for putting out virtual reserve sides against St Helens and Bradford in the run-up to their appearance in the 1994 Challenge Cup final.

League officials will be concerned that the Bulls could gain an unfair advantage over their first play-off opponents.

Elliott includes Alliance trio Gareth Stanley, Chris Birchall and Craig McDowell in his senior squad for the first time while four other youngsters - Paul Sykes, Rob Parker, Gareth Handford and Alex Wilkinson - have just 13 Super League appearances between them.