NRL ready to put players in self-isolation in bid to halt coronavirus
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said the game will “go as deep and as far as we need to go” as more than 400 rugby league players have been ordered into immediate lockdown in a bid to save the season.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
More than 400 rugby league stars have been ordered into immediate lockdown as the NRL introduced strict self-isolation measures in a bid to counter the coronavirus pandemic and save the code from bankruptcy.
ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys has declared “the whole future of the game is at stake” with the NRL ramping-up its fight against the COVID-19 crisis by moving to protect their most important asset – the players.
V’landys, NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg and Rugby League Players Association boss Clint Newton were locked in high-level talks on Thursday night to thrash out a strict set of parameters NRL players must follow to keep the season alive.
Watch the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership on KAYO. Every game of every round LIVE & Ad-Break Free during play. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
As part of the NRL’s unprecedented stance to protect the sport against a coronavirus infection:
* Every full-time contract player from the NRL’s 16 clubs has been ordered to enter the code’s self-isolation program;
* All NRL players will be banned from nightclubs and crowded pubs;
* The NRL is bracing for the prospect of playing in empty stadiums until September – if the competition can survive that long;
* ARLC bosses have discussed moving the NRL’s showpiece event, State of Origin, from June until the end of the season; and
* The entire NRL playing community could be relocated to a warmer climate and housed in compound-style living when the traditional flu season hits in the winter months.
Adam Mobbs, Dean Ritchie and Michael Carayannis discuss Brisbane’s surprise emergence as a potential 2020 NRL grand final host, Latrell Mitchell’s start to his Rabbitohs career and the coronavirus impact on rugby league.
The Broncos are one club already prepared for lockdown, having prepared 30 bunk beds at their old administration offices at Red Hill.
Broncos players remained in their own homes ahead of Friday night’s round-two clash at a crowdless Suncorp Stadium, as the 16 clubs await the final details and delivery of the self-isolation program.
The Courier-Mail understands some of the measures will include players being ordered not to attend restaurants or frequent high-traffic areas in the general community such as cafes and shopping centres.
V’landys confirmed the code is determined to fight on by staging games and stressed the importance of keeping rugby league’s elite players from being infected with coronavirus.
“The whole future of the game is at stake. I can’t stress that enough,” he said. “It (self-isolation for NRL players) starts now.
“We will be in discussions immediately on this self-isolation program. We want to minimise the risk of a player contracting the virus. That is the worst-case scenario _ if a player contracts the virus.
“We will work with the RLPA to minimise the inconvenience of players, but extreme times need extreme measures and we will be taking some measures that will sacrifice some of the freedoms (that players) have now.”
The NRL have come under fire for pushing on when other sporting competitions have suspended their seasons. But with each successful round injecting around $14 million from broadcasters into the NRL’s coffers, the sport is walking a fiscal tightrope.
FOOTY TIPS! Join Australia’s best footy tipping competition for your chance to win big. Add our experts to your league and join now at TIPS.COM.AU.
V’landys concedes the winter months could crippled the code, prompting the ARLC to discuss relocating players into camp-style living in warmer climates such as Brisbane, Gladstone and Townsville.
The NRL will finance private charter flights _ at an estimated cost of more than $300,000 per round _ to keep players protected during the self-isolation program.
“We’re moving into winter which is the normal flu season and that will add complication because people who get the flu will think it’s the coronavirus which puts more stress on the health systems,” V’landys said.
“We need to be agile for those contingencies and we are. That means possibly relocating the players somewhere else during the peak time.
“Our initial short-term solution is to keep the players in their current environment, to keep them where they are as long as they minimise the risk. This is more than just the players. They have elderly parents and families. It will protect the players and their families as well.
“It (the self-isolation rule) means reducing your social interaction. The detail we will work through with the clubs.
“Self-isolation basically means … limited social interaction and we will go through the details with players in coming days.”
The State of Origin series opener is scheduled for Adelaide Oval on June 3. V’landys admits there is a possibility Origin – which is worth $150 million to the code – could be played before empty grounds.
“In the short term Origin is scheduled for the same time,” he said. “Some advice is telling us the stadiums could be closed until late September so we need to be ready for that contingency and we are.
“The consequences if we don’t play games is catastrophic. The losses we would sustain we can’t sustain.
“If we continue to play the whole season, the Origin series and the finals, that’s our best-case scenario. We would still incur a substantial loss but we can accommodate that loss.
“We can’t accommodate a situation where we can’t play the game. We don’t have sufficient funds.”
MORE NEWS
University of Queensland rugby team told to self-isolate after Sydney University match
Coronavirus Wayne Bennett: Rabbitohs coach scoffs at virus fears
NRL CEO Greenberg said: “We have removed our crowds, all to assist the slowdown of this virus.
“Our intent is clear _ to play on, to give our fans the entertainment to brighten up in dark times.
“It’s absolutely vital our players do everything they can to stay healthy and keep the game healthy. Our absolute focus is doing everything we can to keep the game going and to meet our Telstra premiership schedule.”
RLPA boss Newton backed the self-isolation stance.
“We are absolutely supportive of the competition going ahead based on the expert advice the NRL has received,” he said.
“We will give the players an understanding of the restrictions that will be put on them.
“By including them in the detail, that gives us the best chance of them buying into what we will work through.”
Originally published as NRL ready to put players in self-isolation in bid to halt coronavirus
NRL Player of the Year Awards: Who won what at your club
Max Plath took the honours at the Dolphins on a night in which Jesse Bromwich was almost brought to tears as his teammates farewelled him with a haka. See which players were acknowledged at every club’s awards night.
Watch: Sydney Roosters rap group to drop 20-track album
Three-quarters of the Sydney Roosters rap crew will be departing the club at the end of the season but that hasn’t stopped them banding together to produce a 20-track album set to drop soon. Watch the stars in the studio.