NRL considers regional hub as Sydney Covid crisis worsens

As the game confronts the reality of NSW’s exponential surge in Covid cases, all 16 clubs may be forced into a regional location.

NRL clubs could be forced to move to a regional hub. Picture: Ashley Feder/Getty Images

All NRL players are on notice that another Covid breach could force the entire competition to enter into a home-away-from home hub.

It comes as Peter V’landys concedes it is a “live consideration” that the NRL could be forced to move all 16 teams into one regional location to keep the competition up and running.

As the game confronts the reality of NSW’s exponential surge in Covid cases, the ARL Commission chairman did not hesitate in declaring “if it gets any worse” all clubs may be forced into a hub.

V’landys said that could be based in a regional area in NSW, Queensland or Victoria, but at this stage no specific location had been settled on.

Another option would be to just relocate select teams out of Covid hot spot areas but to try and maintain the least amount of inconvenience to players and their families.

NRL clubs could be forced to move to a regional hub. Picture: Ashley Feder/Getty Images

However, having a total of 20 players break NRL Covid protocols in the last week has only increased the pressure considerably.

This is also in the wake of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian revealing on Friday that there were 44 new Covid cases with 29 of those not in isolation.

The Premier said “we need everybody to be shocked” by what she said was now “the scariest period for NSW during the pandemic”.

The greatest concern for the game’s administrators would be if the entire competition was forced into a shutdown, which would cost in the vicinity of $25 million a week through broadcast and gaming revenue.

It was during the competition’s shutdown last year that the NRL first floated the idea of moving all teams into one regional area to minimise the risk of a Covid outbreak within the playing group.

Peter V'landys says the NRL may have to look at relocations.

Asked if that was now a ‘likely’ option given the rapid rise in positive Covid cases in NSW, V’landys was upfront: “That is one of the scenarios we have ready, absolutely.

“At the moment we are doing our utmost to make it the least inconvenience for the players and their families.

“However, if it gets any worse we may have to look at relocations.

“For the competition to continue we may have no option.

“And we have already planned for that contingency.

“We always work on the data, and if we ever thought the data was going to get worse we have contingencies in place.”

He added that could mean moving all teams to “regional NSW, it could be Victoria, it could be Queensland. Anywhere where the cases aren’t as high.

“It is a live consideration, there is no doubt about that.”

NRL head of football Graham Annesley added that the game needed to be ready to adapt.

“There is always a concern about getting the exemptions that we need to move teams in and out of states,” Annesley said.

Asked specifically about the teams moving to one location, Annesley added:

“It depends. Things change by the day.

“Because government restrictions change without notice we have thought through a whole raft of different plans but we will only push go on any of them if we have to.”

Annesley said no location had been decided on: “We have talked about the logistics of making these things happen but we haven’t locked anything in place at this point.”