States vie for kick-off as NRL’s Project Apollo considers options

The NRL’s Project Apollo has been inundated with proposals in how to get this season’s rugby league underway again.

The NRL is studying a proposal delivered by Mal Meninga for Queensland to host nine consecutive Magic Rounds across three venues, including Suncorp Stadium, in the region. Picture: Getty Images

Rugby league’s new innovation committee is sourcing advice from government, broadcasters and medical experts as they optimistically eye off a return to action from June 1 and navigate a State of Origin-style battle over the right to host the bubble.

While July 1 remains the most likely date for the premiership’s revival, there is a belief that as the infection rate of COVID-19 continues to flatten, the game would be well placed to include a June return as part of their contingency planning.

Christened Project Apollo, the committee will come together again next week to plot the path forward. In the meantime, they are taking advice from a variety of sources as they seek some clarity around what is viable and what is nonsensical in the current environment.

It is understood the NRL has been inundated with proposals from cities and states seeking to host rugby league and its clubs once the game is primed to make a comeback.

They have been split along state lines, as Queensland and NSW vie to revive rugby league. AEG Ogden general manager Alan Graham — whose company manages Suncorp Stadium — on Thursday revealed his organisation, via national coach Mal Meninga, had sent the NRL a proposal to play nine consecutive Magic Rounds at three different venues across southeast Queensland to herald the return of rugby league.

The proposal would involve rotating nine rounds through Suncorp Stadium, Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast and another venue — potentially Redcliffe or Sunshine Coast Stadium — to fast-track the competition’s return. It is understood a host of venues in NSW have also come forward, including a proposal to see a number of teams based out of Sydney Olympic Park when rugby league is given the green light.

“We have come up with a proposal to move the clubs to (southeast) Queensland,” Graham said.

“We have suggested a series of Magic Rounds but we would have to run them across a few venues. We would look at three venues and build it around our ability to run it from a venue management point of view.

“There are plenty of options for places to stay. We reckon we could get at least nine weeks out of that formula before the fields become an issue. The benefit of doing the Magic Round-style of formula is we could sanitise the venue, lock it down for three days, and control who comes in and out.

“We put that to the NRL in our capacity as managers of Suncorp Stadium. It would be subject to the government and the authorities being happy with these type of events starting again.”

The NRL and the committee charged with overseeing a plan for the game’s return appear to be leaning towards players being housed together to cut them off from the wider public.

That has resulted in the suggestion that players could be placed in “bubbles”. It is understood Sydney Olympic Park has joined the race to host players and clubs — if not all, then potentially a cluster of clubs as part of a conference system.

The Olympic Park precinct has enough hotels and facilities to cut the players off from the wider community. The game’s return will ultimately rest on advice from several quarters, not least the respective state governments given the players’ ability to play and train will be largely contingent on their guidelines.

The NRL will also need the approval of the players given the bubble would require that they be locked away from family and friends for a period of time. That could stretch from weeks to months, hence the need to have the players’ union on side.

Similarly, the game’s broadcast sponsors would need to wrap their arms around any proposal to take the players to one or more locations.