Robert Craddock: Why sport is leading a double life

League is back. That’s good and fine. The challenge for sport now is to work out how the lower levels of the game cope with rules which are far more easily managed and understood at the highest level, says ROBERT CRADDOCK.

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Society is leading a double life.

You can pack in a rugby league scrum but you cannot sit in the corner of your library and read a book.

So said a radio caller on Friday, and it’s an interesting point.

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The sporting world breathed a sigh of relief after the NRL returned on Thursday.

There’s less chance of a rugby league player who tackles, sweats and dribbles over an opponent falling foul of the COVID-19 police than a 90-year-old man wandering in to watch his grandson play sport over the next few months.

Why? Because league is back but grandparents are banned from attending junior sport when its restart soon.

The instant the ball was kicked off in the Broncos-Eels match at Suncorp on Thursday it felt as if the entire sporting world had undone their top buttons – the relief was tangible and it was a memorable, almost soothing feeling.

League is back. That’s good and fine.

The challenge for sport and society now is to work out how the lower levels of the game, all the way down to schoolboy level, cope with rules which are far more easily managed and understood at elite level governed by paid staff than hearty volunteers.

Bench wiping, no high fives or huddles, no grandparents, only one parent present and preferably in a car and social distancing at kiosks and in dressing rooms and a COVID club official are just some of the rules handed down by the Federal Government in its return to play laws for community sport.

Channel 9 TV cameramen are wearing safety mask and gloves at the footy.

“I have concerns over how we will handle questions from people who ask why there are two sets of rules,’’ said Toombul Cricket Club president Simon Mammino, who can view the laws from the perspective of the volunteer official he is in cricket but also the player agent he is in rugby league.

“With the professionals they have gone through all the hoops which has allowed them to play but community sport don’t have the resources to allow them to do that. It is hard to explain why there are two sets of rules.

“I am comfortable with the top sports because they are in isolation and getting temperatures checked, but it is just harder for community sport.

“My concern as a president is that the volunteers may be liable if they don’t adhere to safe practices. As it is volunteers are hard to find.’’

The confusion of what sports will look like after the virus is causing debate.

Cricket is in the process of banning the huddle, giving umpires gloves and making sure players social distance on the field, but as Josh Hazlewood points out players still sit beside each other on planes and in dressing rooms and buses.

The COVID era will be remembered for general heartache but the occasional piece of comical double standards such as the Intrust Super Cup game earlier this year when players had been packing in scrums for 80 minutes but when the final siren went an official ran on the field and screamed “NOW DO NOT SHAKE HANDS.’’

Will athletes need to stop shaking hands and giving high fives to teammates?

The feedback on league changes to speed up the game was generally positive with the one referee and “six to go’’ rule creating a fast-paced game between the Eels and Broncos, which saw players tire and defensive lines buckle and break – just what the game needs.

But time will still be the judge of the new rules.

When the electronic bunker was introduced it received rave reviews in round one and has blown hot and cold ever since. Nothing in league is as good or bad as it seems on first viewing.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

GOOD: The rise of Parramatta. Even as Brisbane despairs it must be said that when the Eels are hot so is the competition. They have teased us before but this time they look strong, fit and well-coached.

BAD: More than 150 jobs have been lost in Australian cricket since the COVID cloud descended upon it and there are more cuts to come. Yet with India likely to arrive for a four-Test tour, the balance sheet will be restored to respectable levels. The search for answers continues.

UGLY: The future of Sharks flyer Bronson Xerri, who tested positive for four banned drugs. How does this happen with a 19-year-old rising star of the game?