The NRL's road to resumption has hit another roadblock, with broadcast partner Channel Nine describing the proposed May 28 restart date as "premature".
Just 24 hours after ARL commissioner Wayne Pearce boldly declared the NRL season would "definitely" resume on May 28, the code's free-to-air partner has slammed the brakes on plans that have 16 clubs preparing to return to training in just over a week's time.
Channel Nine CEO Hugh Marks, ARLC chairman Peter V'landys and Foxtel boss Patrick Delany.Credit: Louise Kennerley, Getty Images, James Brickwood
"Although we agree constructive discussions have been held between the NRL, Nine and Foxtel, we feel it's premature to be confirming a start date at this stage," a Nine spokesperson said.
"There is a great will to work together to an outcome but a lot of work still to do. A deal needs to be completed and the structure of the competition locked, which importantly must include how it will operate within the health-and-safety standards currently affecting the community."
The NRL had pencilled in another Project Apollo meeting for Friday, which has now been postponed, in the hope broadcast negotiations would progress to the point that it would be able to map out the structure of the 2020 season.
However, plans around a restart date and the machinations of how the season would work appear at the moment to be moot.
Nine, the publisher of this masthead, hasn't ruled out a May 28 restart but is determined to finalise arrangements around a potential new three-year broadcast extension before it concerns itself with the details of this year.
Pearce's comments on Wednesday afternoon, declaring the game would "definitely" return on May 28, surprised Nine powerbrokers, who were of the opinion the negotiations had not progressed to the point of determining a set date.
Pearce said on Wednesday: "We clarified that May 28 is a definite and also confirmed that May 4 is the resumption date for training. Everyone is supportive of what we're doing. Everyone is unified into getting back on the field."
Everyone, that is, except the free-to-air broadcaster and key people in government. The NRL still doesn't know whether teams from outside NSW will be able to stay at home to train, or whether the Warriors can even start training at all.
“I’m saying to NRL, send the detailed plan, send all of your health information, send how it’s all going to work," Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Thursday.
“Put it in a detailed plan and I’m more than happy to forward it to [Queensland chief health officer] Dr [Jeannette] Young. Dr Young has said today she’s more than happy to consider it.
“I think they’ve been dealing with the NSW government and I think they need to submit it to all other governments that have NRL teams.”
Anthony Milford and Brodie Croft of the Brisbane Broncos.Credit: AAP
Pearce's comments outside of Rugby League Central were made at around the same time interim NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and chief operating officer Nick Weeks dialled in 16 club chief executives to tell them nothing had been locked in.
Nine minutes into the call an NRL.com push notification was sent out to almost half a million app subscribers, including a few of the digitally minded CEOs on the phone hook-up, declaring the season was "definitely" back on May 28.
By the time the CEOs had finished being told that there were few, if any, certain answers to their questions, most of their own media departments, taking their lead from Pearce's comments, had put up a series of social media posts with the opposite messaging, declaring the season was back.
Rugby League Players Association boss Clint Newton, who is on the innovation committee with Pearce, seemed perplexed by his comments.
"I certainly think we’ve got a level of responsibility to anyone that’s associated, in particular with that Project Apollo group, that when we come out of those meetings what we’re saying is a true reflection of where we landed," Newton said on Thursday.
Only a few hours prior to Pearce's comments, ARLC chairman Peter V'landys made the trip to Nine's Willoughby headquarters to meet with boss Hugh Marks, who later in the day held a separate meeting with Foxtel chief executive Patrick Delany.
But Pearce's summation of the day's decisions didn't match Marks' interpretation of negotiations that had taken place.
That does not mean V'landys, Delany and Marks will fail to reach a consensus on the terms of a new TV deal and the resumption of the competition. May 28 is still possible, if unlikely.