Daily Telegraph NRL reporter Nick Walshaw banned from entering Bulldogs game over virus concerns

Nick Walshaw is on the list with the Bulldogs Army, cheerleaders and even Brutus the mascot – banned from attending NRL games. So here’s his report from a match without a crowd that he won’t attend …

General view ahead of the first NRL match to be played with no crowd due to the coronavirus between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium. Picture. Phil Hillyard

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OK, so this isn’t the first time I’ve been refused entry from a venue. Unlikely on the podium for best stories, either.

Still, on a night when only 350 people are being admitted into ANZ Stadium for rugby league’s first lockout in over 100 years … well, no prizes for guessing the bloke who dropped that figure by one.

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The first NRL match to be played with no crowd. Photo: Phil Hillyard

With the NRL going into complete lockdown for Round 2 thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Stadium security was for the opening clash between Canterbury and North Queensland was tighter than that mate who wants to go sixth in a shout of five.

Already, fans had been told to stay away.

Same deal mascots, board members and anyone else not directly involved in getting two teams ready for the inaugural NRL game inside an empty stadium.

Still, why worry, right?

Arriving at Homebush some 90 minutes before kick off to cover the match, I felt good.

Or as good as one can when 10kg overweight and driving a Commodore with 350,000km on the clock.

But as for being a security concern? No chance.

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Which is why, after having my backpack checked by the two security staff guarding the sole entry into the venue, I easily passed the first two questions thrown my way.

“Are you unwell?”.

Nup.

“Have you been exposed to anyone with the coronavirus?”.

No, again.

But then, question three.

“OK, so have you been overseas in the past 14 days …”

Ummmm.

And so at this point, I had to explain how, yeah, I’d only got back into Sydney nine days earlier from Las Vegas — which is still three days longer than the Warriors have been in the country and six days before the government introduced the 14-day self-isolation protocols for returning travellers — having covered the UFC 248 headliner between Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero.

Which was, as UFC Dana White put it afterwards, “a shit fight”.

The warning outside the press box.

But me having been there, apparently, was worse.

And why soon after, I was being told by an NRL staffer that, sorry, but I was now on the same banned list as the Bulldogs Army, Bulldogs cheerleaders and even Brutus the Bulldogs mascot.

Which to be fair, is good company. And also no problem.

Understanding that while this may be my first global pandemic, I still realise everyone has a role to play.

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And on this night, it means me filing this yarn from the ANZ Stadium carpark before driving home to hopefully catch the second half of that game I was banned from on TV.

Which again, is fine.

After all, who wants to be the guy who brings down the NRL?

Of course, if somebody had let me know of the entry conditions say, oh, I dunno, anytime before driving down from the Central Coast it would’ve been great.

Still, at least the traffic isn’t bad.

Plus, I’ve also got a free pass from attending games for at least another five days.

Beer me.

Originally published as Daily Telegraph NRL reporter Nick Walshaw banned from entering Bulldogs game over virus concerns