NRL 2021: Players seeking more details on Covid jabs
Clubs are calling on the NRL to introduce an immediate vaccination policy to avoid another season of Covid hell in 2022.
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Clubs are demanding the NRL implement an immediate vaccination policy aimed at motivating all players to return for next year’s pre-season fully inoculated to avoid another season of Covid hell.
The Daily Telegraph spoke to multiple clubs who will encourage players to start immunisation the day their team is eliminated from the 2021 premiership.
And club officials are seeking an urgent meeting with the NRL and RPLA to kickstart education programs for all players around vaccination.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo told club CEO’s during a phone hook-up this week that the ARL Commission would release a vaccination policy in the next few weeks.
Clubs are also seeking research around how major global sports – including the English Premier League, NBA and NFL – handled their vaccine roll out.
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“Vaccinations will be the only way of opening up and ensuring the safety of players and their teammates for next year,” said one prominent CEO.
“Depending on supply, the clubs would want everyone fully vaccinated for next year’s pre-season. We hope they start getting vaccinated the day after their season ends.
“If vaccination is the players’ way back to living a normal life then we are 100 per cent supportive of it. It’s the players’ off season so they can live it how they want but if they come back fully vaccinated then the protocols are less stringent and they can live like the rest of us in society.”
The NRL has started player-led advertising campaigns with the stars of rugby league exclaiming: “I will be getting vaccinated because…’.”
Some players are reluctant to receive the jab now for fear that side-effects could impact their run into the finals. Most have agreed to be injected once the season ends.
While the NRL has done a remarkable job through Covid, all stakeholders in the game are seeking a disruptive-free 2022 season.
“Vaccination is a real priority for us. It’s not just about our players but also playing a leadership role in the community. We want to play an active role in encouraging community vaccination. We’re going to work with the clubs and the playing group to assist in promoting those messages in our communities,” Abdo said.
“The message is a simple one, we want as many people as possible getting the vaccine. It is our way out of this health crisis and the lifting of restrictions for everyone.”
NSWRL CEO David Trodden added: “It is something we will need to be front-of-mind for us in terms of planning for future seasons that may still be impacted by Covid.”
Clubs want education classes about immunisation to begin immediately. Those programs would be hosted by each club’s medical staff along with the NRL and RLPA. The NRL has already stated it would encourage – but not demand - vaccinations.
“I don’t know why the vaccination has such a stigma around it,” said Manly skipper Cherry-Evans. “I don’t know enough information as to why but I’ve got no dramas with it.
“Covid is something we are all going to have to learn to live with and if a vaccination is going to help people get back some form of normality then I’m happy to play my part.
“I will wait until the season is done (to be jabbed), that’s my preference, not getting it through the season because I don’t know anything about it. But if they said, on your way out after the footy season, we have a doctor ready with some jabs ready to go, I’d line straight up and get it, no dramas. That’s how I feel.”
RLPA CEO Clint Newton said there were “sensitivities” around immunisation but supported immediate education.
“The collective approach is the development of information, the delivery of the education, the opportunity to ask questions and then the participation of the vaccine rollout but at a more granular level, it’s the individual and what it means for that player. It needs to be treated with a high level of compassion and understanding,” said Newton.
“It is complex but some of the concerns can be reduced and some of the questions can be answered if we all agree on implementing a co-ordinated approach with the clubs, players and NRL by delivering the education and providing the information around the safety data.
“We can then allow the players and staff to properly digest that information and provide them an opportunity to ask any further questions and then work through a process that allows people to participate in a vaccination process or roll out of their choosing. We would strongly support that to be done in the next couple of weeks.”
Players refusing to be vaccinated face playing next season in a restrictive bubble, similar to the NFL policy in America.
WHEN WILL NRL PLAYERS GET COVID VACCINE?
—Nick Walshaw, Travis Meyn and Peter Badel
A Covid vaccine rollout among NRL players may not take place until after the current season has been completed, with League Central also urged to be “understanding” of those who reject the jab.
While Australian sports fans will need a ‘Vaccination Passport’ to attend games beyond this year, the RLPA will argue Covid shots should not be a condition of employment for the game’s biggest stars.
The NRL is facing a vaccine hesitancy fight after some of the game’s top players called for more information and safety assurances before they commit to a Covid jab.
The vaccine debate is heating up as the NRL edges towards making a decision on whether it will mandate players to be vaccinated against Covid.
It appears likely players will be urged to receive vaccinations once eligible, however a “no jab, no play” policy is unlikely to be adopted.
Rugby League Players Association CEO Clint Newtown said any policy or framework established needed to not only be in consultation with the players, but “one we support and agree to”.
Newton also suggested a level of “compassion” be shown to those players who, for whatever reason, opt out of a Covid vaccine.
Ongoing discussions among NRL powerbrokers are also yet to decide on when a vaccine roll out will take place, with suggestions it may not occur now until after the current season is completed.
“In our view, (vaccination) should not be a condition of employment,” Newton said.
“And in our high-level discussions with the NRL, they have been very supportive when it comes to navigating through the vaccine discussion and providing freedom of choice.
“We need to come together and work collaboratively on any proposed policy for what is a complex and ever-changing landscape.”
The NRL endured an anti-vaccination scandal last year after a host of players, including Parramatta’s Bryce Cartwright and Canberra’s Josh Papalii, refused to receive influenza shots as part of the game’s return-to-play proposal following the Covid shutdown.
Vaccine hesitancy has been a problem in Australia’s fight against Covid and the NRL faces a battle to convince players to receive the jab.
Queensland Origin star Tino Fa’asuamaleaui said he was open to being vaccinated but had concerns about potential side-effects.
“I don’t know, I hadn’t really thought about it too much,” the Gold Coast forward said when asked if he was happy to be vaccinated.
“It is a bit scary hearing all the bad things that have happened to people. It is scary but I guess if we need to get it done then we need to get it done to be able to do things and get back to normal.
“It’s a hard one to answer. (We need) more information to make sure everything’s going to be all right. That’s the main thing for me, more information to make sure everything will go well.”
Fa’asuamaleaui’s Titans and Maroons teammate AJ Brimson also said he had some concerns about the Covid vaccination but would receive it to play if required.
“I don’t know, I’m a bit on the fence at the moment, I’m not too sure,” he said.
“I’m not anti-vax and I’m not all for everything.
“If that’s something that has to be done then I’ll be getting it done. But I’m sure there will be players that wouldn’t want to get the vaccine.
“I’ll think about it a bit more when the time comes.”
That time will be coming soon. The NRL will finish this season without a vaccination policy in place but that is unlikely to be the case heading into 2022.
Pushed on the idea of players remaining in strict quarantine conditions if they refuse the jab, Newtown continued: “What I want to stress is that this isn’t a debate about what is right or wrong.
“It’s about understanding people’s different positions and working through them with a level of compassion and understanding.
“Yes, it’s a big conversation, but educating our members with accurate and objective information, including the safety data, remains fundamental.
“And we understand our members – both male and female — will have views based individual circumstances, personal conditions and beliefs.
“But no medical product should be effectively forced onto players as a condition of employment, and we have no reason to believe this will be the case based on the discussions that have previously taken place.”
Already, the NRL has backed a decision to have fans vaccinated if they want to attend live rugby league events in 2022.
So what chance fans are upset that players will live under a different set of rules?
“I would like to imagine everyone can acknowledge the distinct difference between attending venues to watch sport and someone’s employment obligations,” Newton said. “There is a big difference there, and we shouldn’t try to blur the lines.
“Again, to be clear, this isn’t about being pro or anti-vax, so we need not take this conversation there.
“It’s simply about working through the situation together and agreeing on any policy that everyone can understand and justify.”
With Australia to further open vaccinations to under-40s in the coming months, the NRL will face a test in convincing players to get the jab. Some will undoubtedly refuse, but the game needs the vast majority to be vaccinated to minimise disruptions to the competition.
They may just need some convincing, with Broncos playmaker Anthony Milford saying he was unsure about the vaccination.
“There’s a whole heap of politics around that so I’m not sure myself,” he said. “I’m just worried about us playing and keeping the comp on track.”
With the players to remain under Level 4+ restrictions for the remainder of the season, the carrot of going back to a ‘normal’ life may be enough to get them on the vaccination bandwagon.
“It’s pretty tough sometimes being in the spotlight with some of the restrictions the general public doesn’t really see,” Brimson said. “First and foremost, if we get to play footy we’re happy with that. We’ll pretty much do anything to play footy.
“The restrictions get harder. We’ve been in lockdown for pretty much the last month.
“You do get over it, but we’re lucky enough to play footy so whatever the Queensland Government says we have to abide by.”
NRL’S VACCINATION ULTIMATUM TO PLAYERS
— Dean Ritchie
NRL players who refuse to be vaccinated may be forced to live permanently under the same restrictive level 4 Covid protocols they are currently under in Queensland.
The Daily Telegraph has been told the NRL will consider applying different conditions to those who have been jabbed for Covid.
The NRL could argue to Government authorities about decreasing level 4 measures for those who have been jabbed.
Those vaccinated players could be permitted to return to a normal, pre-Covid life.
Any alteration to protocol restrictions would need to be approved by the ARL Commission before possibly introduced from the start of next year or even late this season.
Once the vaccine is readily available, NRL management can develop and apply a new policy it hopes would motivate players to be vaccinated.
The NRL won’t instruct any player to be vaccinated but may continue applying strict biosecurity initiatives for anti-vaxxers, including wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
All NRL players were living under level 4 conditions in NSW and remain under those requirements while based in Queensland. They include:
^ Wearing face masks.
^ Undergoing regular Covid tests.
^ Limited household guests.
^ Only leaving home to complete “essential household tasks.”
^ Checking in daily on a Whereabouts App.
These are the protocols that could be enforced permanently during Covid for those players declining immunisation.
And these are the same stipulations introduced on May 28 last year when the NRL competition resumed.
It would be anticipated that players who are anti-vaxxers may protest at staying under level 4 supervision.
While not wanting to interfere in player’s private lives, the NRL is desperately keen to help accelerate the vaccine rollout. Players may even be used to promote vaccinations.
The NRL will encourage all players – privately and publicly - to be vaccinated.
One NRL club official, who preferred not to be named, said: “I think the no jab, no play edict is a ‘given’ eventually. Then we will find out the people who really love rugby league.
“It’s a civil right to say no to a vaccine but you can have rules for your own game. We will all have passports soon that will get us on planes and into events.”
The development comes after Daily Telegraph revelations that fans attending major sporting events in Sydney next year will require a Covid jab.
Vaccination passports will be necessary should fans seek to purchase tickets for NRL, AFL or cricket games at major stadiums and suburban grounds.
It’s no jab, no entry for sporting fans.
Venues NSW chairman Tony Shepherd said the plan – which still requires Government approval - would allow fans to return to sporting events safely.
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