Peter V’landys hits back at ‘scaremongering’ over NRL’s return

ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys has lashed critics of the NRL’s plans to restart rugby league next month, declaring he is confident season will go ahead.

ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys. Picture: Jonathan Ng

ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys has lashed critics of the NRL’s plans to restart rugby league next month, declaring that while the proposed date of May 28 is merely a “road map for the best case scenario” he is confident the season will go ahead.

Mr V’landys told The Australian the NRL would forge ahead with its plan to kickstart the season in late May amid comments from Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy and Sport Minister Richard Colbeck, who on Monday characterised talks of the game’s resumption as “premature”.

It comes ahead of a crucial meeting between the NRL and Nine’s chief executive Hugh Marks on Tuesday to discuss the viability of holding a 2020 season in the time of coronavirus.

Mr V’landys, who has consistently pushed for rugby league to return as clubs struggle under the financial strain of the pandemic, said critics were failing to see the situation could have improved in seven weeks.

However, if infection rates were to spike, the NRL would push the restart date back. “It’s a road map for the best case scenario. The critics are unfortunately looking at it today. We are not playing today – we are playing in seven weeks,” Mr V’landys said.

“In that seven weeks we will know the infection rate, we should know everything. We are malleable. We would be letting down our fans, our players and everyone else in the game if May 28 came and we had no plan.

“I realise there are people who will come out and scaremonger. Critics who will say, ‘Oh, why is the NRL doing this’? But where are their figures that show us putting anyone at risk?”

Professor Murphy said it would be at least four weeks before he even considers lifting restrictions on professional sports. The NRL’s proposed season restart date is almost seven weeks away.

“It’s premature at the moment. I would like to watch the data before the next two to four weeks before we make any recommendation about that,” Professor Murphy told Sky News on Monday.

Senator Colbeck also characterised the NRL’s proposal as “a bit ambitious.”

Their comments echoed those of Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk who on Monday said there was “no health advice” the season could recommence.

She also flagged that under current restrictions players from the Sunshine State’s three clubs would not be permitted to travel back and forth to Sydney to play.

“There is no clear health advice at the moment that is telling me that the NRL can start and no other sport can,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

But NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro – a staunch supporter of a 2020 NRL season – told Sky News on Monday that while the state’s social distancing restrictions would remain in place for some time, there was still a “way forward” for the NRL.

He conceded the competition may have to adhere to special rules to operate under COVID-19 related health orders. “They have named a date in late May.

Now that may be ambitious or it may not be but whatever they choose to do they will still have to go through the process and the protocols and measures to protect players, staff and all those related to the game,” Mr Barilaro said.

“It is a tough call, but let’s allow the NRL to pitch the governments and what they have in mind. There is a way forward if there is a protocol and measures put in place.”

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller doubled down on a letter he sent to Mr V’landys on April 8, in which he approved the start of the NRL season.

“Professional sports are not closed, nevertheless they have hurdles to get over in relation to work health and safety,” Mr Fuller said on Monday.

“I wish them the best in terms of getting their employment back up and running, and every other sporting institution.”

In the letter Commissioner Fuller informed Mr V’landys the NSW Health Minister’s directions on COVID-19 did not “preclude the NRL from commencing a competition in the terms outlined above”.

When asked about Ms Palaszczuk’s comments, Mr V’landys said the NRL was talking on the assumption that things will get better and Queensland will be fine.

“If It is not, under that letter we released, it says we can base teams in NSW,” he said.

Meanwhile, as the fate of the 2020 season hangs in the balance, the code’s players are gearing up for the best-case scenario by training individually in their home gyms and garages across the nation, patiently waiting for a green light.