Acting NRL boss Andrew Abdo tells staff: my focus is on May 28 launch

Acting NRL chief Andrew Abdo tells employees staff will return on a part-time basis to ensure the competition resumes in May.

Andrew Abdo and Todd Greenberg in 2016. Picture: Richard Dobson

Acting NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has told his employees via video link on Thursday that his focus remains on resuming the competition on May 28 and some staff will return on a part-time basis to make that happen.

Amid talk of widespread cuts at head office, Abdo confirmed that the majority of NRL staff would be placed on the jobkeeper program once they have used their annual leave.

A skeleton group will then work towards getting the NRL up and running by the end of next month. The Australian understands that no redundancies were announced.

Savage cuts have been predicted at Rugby League Central as part of the measures to bring the game’s cost base under control. The expectation is that some jobs will be lost following the departure of chief executive Todd Greenberg this week.

Abdo stepped into the breach and has made it his priority to finalise an agreement with the broadcasters for the remainder of this year, when the competition is expected to resume in an abbreviated form.

The NRL will be in the dark about how much money they have to play with until an agreement is struck with the Nine Network and Foxtel, the broadcasters believed to be pushing for an extension to their current deal as part of negotiations.

Both are locked in until the end of 2022.