NRL’s Covid warning: there’s more pain to come

Clubs walked away from a meeting with the NRL fearing that they may be forced to remain in biosecurity bubbles until the middle of next year

Andrew Abdo has warned NRL powerbrokers that the game faces major cost cutting. Picture: Phil Hillyard

NRL clubs and players are bracing to be in biosecurity bubbles until at least the middle of next year after the game’s expert adviser on COVID-19 warned that it may be that long before a vaccine is made available to the public.

The sobering news could also have repercussions for both the Warriors and Melbourne Storm, who have been forced to relocate to NSW’s Central Coast and Queensland’s Sunshine Coast due to the impact of COVID-19.

Doctor David Heslop addressed club chief executives on Wednesday when he provided an update on worldwide trends around coronavirus. Club chiefs left that meeting convinced that next season will kick-off with players still in bubbles, although with the restrictions potentially not as stringent as this year.

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The projections will have significant ramifications for the financial future of the game and the clubs, who may be forced to open next season with severe limits remaining over the capacity of their grounds. The Australian revealed this week that the NRL had already told the players union they believe COVID-19 will cost them at least $400 million over the next two seasons, prompting head office to slash their own costs and seek a significant reduction in the salary cap.

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has been in ongoing talks with the players’ union and those discussions will continue this week as they look to reduce the cap by as much as 10 per cent.

The good news is that squad sizes are set to stay at 30 players, a decision that will have ramifications for a host of those who are off contract at the end of the year – the fear was that anywhere from 50 to 100 players could be culled to help protect the clubs’ finances.

The landscape has now changed, meaning the likes of Kieran Foran, Aiden Tolman, Benji Marshall and Tristan Sailor have been given fresh hope they will be able to secure new deals.

With squad sizes remaining the same, it means players could be forced to take pay cuts to allow for the reduction in the cap. Players earning $1 million or more a year could face potential cuts of $100,000 for next season.

The alternative would be to sacrifice squad numbers and starve some players of the opportunity to earn a living in the NRL, a problem that has been exacerbated by the difficulties being encountered in Super League, restricting the opportunities to relocate to England.

The other good news for the players is they will be given an extra week of holidays this season, a reward for the diligence while living under strict biosecurity provisions.

The clubs were also given clarity around how they will operate once their season ends. Players will be expected to remain in the bubble for three days after their season is over to complete reviews before they will be allowed to break from the bubble and live like the rest of the community.

Clubs reiterated that Mad Monday – the traditional end-of-season celebration – would be scrapped. Players from sides who fail to make the finals will not be required to return to training until November 16 at the earliest, although State of Origin will have ramifications for players in the mix for the Queensland and NSW sides.

Clubs were told that the Queensland and NSW squads for the November State of Origin series were likely to be made up of 27 players, with the first group to begin training from October 19.

The original group of players named could face nearly a month isolated from family and friends as they enter an Origin bubble in preparation for the series.

Daly Cherry-Evans, Moses Mbye, Ben Hunt and Corey Norman could be required to relocate to Queensland to enter Origin camp at that time, although a final decision will rest with the Queensland Rugby League.

The clubs were also told that they would receive more details around the restructure of the NRL at the end of the month.

Abdo has already outlined his plans to the ARL Commission as he seeks to slash up to $50 million off the running costs of head ­office.