NEWCASTLE Jets fan favourite Ryan Griffiths last night revealed his fear for the A-League's future, after coming to terms with the news that his club will apparently not exist next season.

Weeks after signing a new deal with the Jets, the 30-year-old vented his frustration over the A-League's latest crisis as the Jets players sought advice from agents and their union about the next move.

With Nathan Tinkler handing back his licence and effectively culling the Jets, there was also instant speculation that coach Gary van Egmond may become a target for Sydney FC to replace Vitezslav Lavicka.

"I do have fears," Griffiths said when asked about his thoughts on the A-League's survival. "If you've got owners like this (Tinkler and Clive Palmer), who are the only people who can afford to be involved and spend the money they do to get a product up and running, I can't see how much patience the other owners will have.

"Over in Perth the owner (Tony Sage) is threatening to take his youth team out of the competition because it's too expensive.

"It seems the FFA aren't willing to help clubs. I think there's not enough communication between the FFA and clubs. When they do communicate, it ends up a power competition, and ends up the way it has here (in Newcastle).

"We've lost a really good financial backer. It's sad. It sucks. Why can't the A-League get bigger like the MLS (in the US)?

"Why can't we bring in the big players and make the league as attractive as they've done over there?"

The Jets players have been told to abandon training for the rest of the week, after they learned of their fate following yesterday's session.

It's understood there was anger among some that they had been allowed to train after the Hunter Sports Group had cancelled its licence, with the players concerned they were technically uninsured.

Last week striker Michael Bridges was verbally offered a contract for next season, but was left dumbfounded by the day's developments.

"There's a past and a present to football in Newcastle but what about the future?" he said. "One of the best things we'd done with HSG was the programs with the kids, so many of them want to play football more than any other sport.

"It's hard to swallow, the model they built was perfect for the league.

"We can only hope that somehow there's a silver lining and someone, or the FFA, decide to keep us going.

"When there's a war the generals send the troops into battle, we're just the pawns. Players call us from overseas about the possibility of coming here and we try to sell the league, and then they read about something like this."

Players' union CEO Brendan Schwab said he was seeking "urgent talks" with HSG boss Troy Palmer about the future of the players.

"We didn't know what to do," Griffiths added. "It wasn't a good day for Newcastle football, that's for sure.

"I had just re-signed for two years. You think of your playing career, your family.

"It's just so hard to believe that if no other owner comes in to take over the Jets, there won't be a team here."

With Sydney at deadlock in their talks with Graham Arnold - the FC board unwilling to increase its offer of $325,000 a year - van Egmond becoming available is likely to be closely monitored at Moore Park.

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Originally published as The blow that may kill the A-League