How NRL clubs are responding to rugby league’s coronavirus shutdown
UPDATED: From coaching staff sent home to pay cuts across the board and individualised training programs for players, here’s how every NRL club is coping with the decision to postpone season 2020.
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BULLDOGS
Players were told to not come in on Tuesday. Coach Dean Pay and the rest of his coaching staff including assistants Steve Georgallis and Steve Antonelli have been stood down immediately without pay with no clear outline over when the NRL season will resume.
A plan will be put in place regarding rehab for players such as Kieran Foran and individualised training programs.
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RAIDERS
The Raiders will be closely monitoring the lockdown of borders domestically and internationally because of their contingent of English players. The tightening of travel restrictions heavily affects players such as John Bateman, whose young daughter lives in the UK.
High-performance staff are working on training programs for players while in self-isolation.
The Raiders are the latest club to make the tough call to stand down all staff as of this Friday.
EELS
A meeting on Wednesday determined all football staff below coach Brad Arthur will be stood down. Players will be expected to maintain a certain level of fitness and have tailored training programs designed for them. The suspension also means players such as Reed Mahoney, who was set to miss around six weeks after fracturing his foot on the weekend, won’t miss any game time.
ROOSTERS
Players will have a meeting on Wednesday to discuss a plan, which will include detailed individual training sessions at home to maintain fitness.
“For example, James Tedesco will start setting up how he trains on his own, in his own home,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson told Fox League.
“There are some things that people don’t realise. Guys with long-term injuries like Billy Smith, what happens over the next couple of months to rehab him.
“The physios discuss that, there’s a mental health aspect. We’ve got a clinical psychologist on board and he’ll get around to each player and discuss their individual issues.”
RABBITOHS
The Rabbitohs had a meeting on Tuesday and players are training from home for now.
The club will devise a plan for players to maintain fitness during the competition’s suspension.
This will be a crucial period for players such as star recruit Latrell Mitchell, who is desperate to recover full fitness to successfully complete his transition from centre to fullback.
SEA EAGLES
Manly players will meet in the coming days to discuss a training plan.
The Sea Eagles didn’t train on Tuesday and are expected to train from home in the foreseeable future, like most clubs.
PANTHERS
The first club to announce it will be shutting down throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Doors close on Friday until at least the end of May. Staff without annual leave will be forced to take an unpaid break or join Centrelink queues.
TIGERS
All staff were still working as of Tuesday afternoon. Tigers coaching staff have begun drawing up training programs for the players, who are no longer allowed to work out at the club’s Concord HQ. Considerations are also being made for gym equipment to be taken to players’ homes.
KNIGHTS
Knights football manager Danny Buderus said coaching staff were already drawing up individual training programs. The focus will be on maintaining the “routine” of NRL life.
Backed by The Wests Group, Newcastle have been described by CEO Phil Gardner as “one of the most financially stable clubs in the NRL”.
SHARKS
Cronulla have become the fourth NRL club to stand down their entire football department, including head coach John Morris.
Sharks CEO Dino Mezzatesta told every member of the coaching staff at a meeting on Tuesday that the club would be shutdown and operating with skeleton staff only until May 1.
It’s understood Mezzatesta will remain in the CEO role without pay.
DRAGONS
For the first time since he was charged, Jack de Belin’s court appearance in two weeks won’t be front-page news.
The Dragons will have clarity around de Belin’s future when he fronts court again on April 8. If the charges are dropped, he will be clear to return whenever play resumes.
The time off will also allow injured players, including Cameron McInnes and Korbin Sims, to fully recover.
COWBOYS
North Queensland coach Paul Green has been stood down on two weeks’ pay with more than 60 Cowboys staff facing uncertain futures as the coronavirus pandemic rips the heart out of the NRL.
Green and head-of-football Peter Parr have been given a fortnight’s paid leave with the majority of the Cowboys football and administrative staff stood down while the NRL season is in limbo.
Some Cowboys staff have begun making immediate inquiries with Centrelink after receiving documentation at their stand-down meeting outlining the possibility of government financial aid amid the COVID-19 crisis.
At this stage, Cowboys management have not spoken about job cuts or salary downgrades, instead offering staff members, including Green and Parr, the option to take annual leave with two weeks’ pay.
BRONCOS
The Broncos are facing a huge financial shake-up when up to $4 million is shredded from the payroll of the richest club in the NRL.
While the Broncos are a $52 million powerhouse, Queensland’s sporting flagship has enormous resources and more than 100 employees.
There will be a 10 to 20 per cent pay cut across the board and Brisbane’s entire executive staff will accept downgrades, including chief executive Paul White.
Broncos players have been instructed not to gather at the club’s centre of excellence, and training sessions at their state-of-the-art gym have been canned.
STORM
Melbourne CEO Dave Donaghy said the club had started planning for a potential competition shutdown weeks ago. As a result, the Storm are confident they can push through this difficult period and maintain the players’ mental health and fitness.
“In the immediate future, it is an opportunity for the players to go home and spend time with their families,” Donaghy told Fox League. “They will be given a program to do their best with keeping fit.”
WARRIORS
The Warriors flew home to Auckland on Tuesday to start their 14-day quarantine, as advised by the New Zealand government.
Warriors CEO Cameron George confirmed that some Australian-born players would remain in Australia for now. Decisions around reuniting the team for training will be discussed.
George conceded the club would cop a massive hit financially but he was confident the franchise would survive.
TITANS
The players have been put on indefinite leave following the suspension of the NRL.
They have been told to stay away from the club and try to avoid unnecessary contact with the public.
“They will have individualised plans from our high-performance teams,” Titans CEO Steve Mitchell said. “Their welfare is paramount to us, so we’ll be in constant communication.”
Originally published as How NRL clubs are responding to rugby league’s coronavirus shutdown