Unbeaten teams may lose points

NRL teams could be stripped of the competition points they won in the opening two rounds of the season under a highly controversial proposal to restart the premiership with two conferences.

A deduction of points is a serious option being considered by NRL powerbrokers that will outrage fans of undefeated teams Parramatta, Newcastle, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and Penrith.

And in another shock, St George Illawarra could be left out of the Sydney clubs’ conference and be forced to join the out-of-town clubs in a Queensland-based “northern” conference.

Tigers league legend Wayne Pearce, who leads Project Apollo which is analysing various structures and schedules for the rest of the season, admits clubs could lose their points from the opening rounds.

“There are a couple of arguments we need to consider,” Pearce said. “Players worked their butts off in the off-season and won games in the first two rounds. But if it’s a different competition format and we start all over again … do they keep them?

“It’s a key point we’ll be discussing on Thursday then passing on to the commission to make the final decision.”

Under the two conference system, it’s understood St George Illawarra would be left to join the out-of-Sydney clubs – the Cowboys, Broncos, Titans, Knights, Raiders, Warriors and Storm – in Queensland at a venue still to be determined.

The Sydney clubs would be based at Sydney Olympic Park.

For player welfare reasons, the regular season would be played over only seven weeks because it is considered unreasonable to have players away from their families and loved ones for any longer.