NRL hub life: latest news as players prepare for life in the Queensland bubble
The families of NRL players bound for a long stretch away from home in Queensland hubs have posted emotional social media messages to their loved ones.
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Operation Relocation has begun.
In a mass exodus on Wednesday, almost 360 NRL players and another 132 coaching and football department staff departed NSW as the competition heads to Queensland in a bid to keep the season alive.
The NRL was forced into relocating the 10 NSW based teams, plus Canberra and the Warriors, amid the latest Covid surge in greater Sydney.
Players spent the morning farewelling loved ones, some unsure when they will see their families again.
The NRL has given players a four-week time frame but realistically should expect to be north of the border until at least the end of the regular season.
A number of players were left behind, for a variety of reasons, and the NRL is now working on getting those players into Queensland in the coming days.
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Tigers outside back Tommy Talau posted a farewell message from his partner Maddi: ‘safe travels mi amor, miss you already’.
The wife of Tigers utility Michael Chee Kam, Alex, was equally as heartbroken about having to say goodbye to her husband on Wednesday.
“Miss you my darling boy, so much already,” she posted on her Instagram.
Cronulla forward Aaron Woods stayed behind to be with his wife Sarah, who gave birth to the couple’s second child on Wednesday. Teammate Will Chambers, who is in isolation after travelling to Melbourne to be there for the birth of his third child, also missed Wednesday’s flight out of Sydney.
The Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra were the first clubs to leave the tarmac on Wednesday at 1pm, headed for the Gold Coast.
On the day they left the Dragons also posted a series of apologies from players over their actions in the infamous Paul Vaughan party.
Jack de Belin, who is believed to have hidden under a bed when police arrived at Vaughan’s house, said he was deeply remorseful.
“For someone like myself it was a poor decision,” de Belin said. “I shouldn’t have been there and I’m deeply regretful and sorry for my actions. I see how much of a strain it’s putting on the community at the moment and for me doing that, it just wasn’t good enough.
“From here on I’m just going to be doing everything I can to pay back that faith.”
Zac Lomax and Daniel Alvaro were left behind after refusing to sign documents that detailed the party.
But Lomax did apologise for his behaviour on Instagram.
“I wish to sincerely apologise for my irresponsible behavior in attending a gathering and breaking Covid protocol,” Lomax said.
“It was stupid and irresponsible and I genuinely regret what I did.
“To the club, the Dragons’ fans, our sponsors, stakeholders, my teammates who were not involved, the NRL and my family - please accept my sincere apology.”
The Dragons will bunker down with the Tigers and Sharks at the Novotel in Brisbane.
All packed and masked-up, Penrith players arrived for their 2pm flight to the Sunshine Coast with one piece of precious cargo on board – the boom box.
Center Stephen Crichton made sure the boom box made it safely to the luxury Twin Waters resort, where the Roosters, Newcastle and Manly will also be based.
Panthers enforcer James Fisher-Harris, who’s wife is due to give birth this week, also travelled with the team.
“They have a bit of time to think about it before they come, it’s up to them, I’m not putting any pressure on them,” Fisher-Harris said.
Canberra backrower Elliott Whitehead was all packed and ready for his flight to the Gold Coast, but there was no room for two very important members of his family.
“All packed, no room for the pooches though,” he posted along with a crying face emoji.
But there was one “essential” Elliott did find room for in his suitcase – a pair of snorkels, which will no doubt come in handy in the warmer winter temperatures up north.
“Obviously, the snorkel goes in first,” Elliott joked.
The Gold Coast hub will also include the Bulldogs, Eels, Rabbitohs and Warriors, with the five sides to be housed at the Mercure.
Taleah Aloiai, the wife of Manly forward Josh, shared a touching moment between her husband and young son Uriah.
“The unknown. Love you dada, hopefully not too long,” Taleah posted.
The second phase of the NRL’s Relocation Operation will happen on Saturday when around 300 family members of players and coaching staff will also head to Queensland. The families will have to isolate for 14-days in a separate facility before joining the respective hubs.
LEBRON AND NBA COME TO NRL’S RESCUE
If it’s good enough for LeBron, it’s good enough for Latrell.
In a stunning development, America’s powerful National Basketball Association has been drafted in to help relocate 500 anxious NRL players into their new Queensland bubble.
And NBA superstars have already told NRL players: We’re here to help you.
The Rugby League Players’ Association has started formal dialogue with the NBA players’ union to dissect and discuss how 22 massive US basketball franchises spent 13 weeks inside a biosecurity bubble at Florida, last year.
Australian Ben Simmons was one NBA star forced inside the hub at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando between July 7 and October 12 last year. Other superstars included LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
The NBA lockdown prompted RLPA chief executive Clint Newton to kickstarted talks with New York-based NBA players’ association chief international relations and marketing, Matteo Zuretti.
The pair have communicated through email and will commence phone conversations this week where Newton will seek to determine how NBA players managed to remain settled – with and without family – inside a restrictive bubble for more than three months.
Zuretti has already expressed a keen interest to help NRL players.
“We have been in touch overnight with the NBA Players’ Association to get some of the key learnings, priorities and challenges they had through their bio hubs last season,” Newton said.
“How to effectively manage what is going to have various layers of complexity? What does the bubble look like in terms of mental health challenges? How to manage different matters that arise in the bubble with the conflict that exists between work and family demands? That can be a challenge.
“What is the sustainability of those environments from a cost and player welfare perspective? The NBA PA can offer us a great deal. They are a supremely professional outfit who prioritise player health and safety.
“They were able to collect a significant amount of information from their experience last year which we can now learn from and how we can plug into some of their challenges we will now be faced with.
“Hopefully some of those challenges will be minimised and reduced because of the information we can get. Matteo replied to me saying: ‘Here’s my number - I’m here to help’.”
Newton will also chat with the powerful AFL players’ association about player relocation, the three bodies connected through the World Players’ Association.
Twelve NRL clubs – nine from Sydney along with Canberra, Newcastle and Canberra - will relocate to Brisbane, Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast on Wednesday due to Sydney’s worsening Covid outbreak.
The bubble will initially span four weeks although there are already fears it could extend for the rest of this season.
“The NRL will tip in a significant amount of money to ensure the hubs are first class and are prioritising not only the health and safety physically but also the psychological safety of players,” Newton said.
“There will be nuances that exist for individual players, families and clubs, given the speed in which they will have to relocate.
“There will be extended periods of time where players spend away from family and friends, particularly in an environment where it’s difficult to unplug from training and playing requirements, if you’re in that space all-day, every day.
“We will work through the same process with the AFL PA, who had to relocate the Melbourne teams to Queensland. They will also play a key role.”
PLAYERS SACRIFICE COMES AT A RISK
Warriors CEO Cameron George has warned players leaving behind family members and pregnant partners risk being at the mercy of the Queensland government if they have to return to NSW.
It’s an emotional and tough decision for a number of players facing the possibility of missing the birth of their child, as the NRL prepares to move all NSW clubs, plus the Warriors, into three Queensland hubs amid the worsening Covid outbreak in the state.
It is also a gut wrenching decision for the partners too.
The pregnant partners Warriors duo Kodi Nikorima and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Cronulla’s Aaron Woods are forced to decide if they will travel north or stay in NSW without their husbands.
It’s understood Watene-Zelezniak will travel north without wife Purdy, who is expecting to give birth to the couple’s third child in the next two weeks. Purdy has opted to stay in NSW, where she would be closer to other family and a support network.
“Kodi’s [partner] it’s not pending in the next week but certainly Dallin, his wife, they are due very soon,” George said.
“To their credit we are looking at the options and working with the NRL around options.
“There are two things to be clear on, there is NRL help they can provide us and reconsider policies but then you have government policies with no discretion, and rightly so. It’s black and white … the things the government control.”
While the NRL is planning on keeping families together as part of the relocation, George confirmed the partners and families of the players would have to go through a 14-day quarantine period separate to the hotels in which the players will start arriving at from Wednesday.
The Warriors, along with the Bulldogs, Eels, Rabbitohs and Raiders will be based at the Mecure on the Gold Coast.
The Knights, Panthers, Roosters and Sea Eagles will be staying in the luxury resort at the Novotel Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast.
In Brisbane, the Dragons, Sharks and Tigers will be checked into the Novotel at South Bank.
“They’ll isolate in a separate facility and post the two weeks, they will then reconnect with the group,” George said.
“We’re going to stay on for the rest of the year so we need to find living arrangements beyond the quarantine.”
If one club knows the importance of having family near by, it’s the Warriors.
The New Zealand club was forced to stay in Australia last year to keep the competition running without any loves ones.
Homesickness meant four players, David Fusitu’a, Ken Maumalo, Agnatius Paasi and King Vuniyayawa, travelled back to New Zealand.
“Families come first, that’s been the critical thing we have worked on and that’s helped us through some pretty dark times,” George said.
“We’re looking through those now and what do in the case a player needs to be with their family.
“Sacrifices are going to be coming thick and fast because of quarantine and the situation we are in.
“It’s a risky move they are all embarking on, they are leaving a state in lockdown and the border are being shut.
“You can’t just freely come and go, they would have families that have commitments with either school or work … it’s not easy to do what we have been experiencing for the last 18 months.”
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