Hit and run mission for Cowboys
THE Cowboys will embark on a whirlwind NRL assignment tomorrow as the club aims to beat the Bulldogs and a global pandemic.
The Cowboys will fly to Sydney on a chartered jet on game day before returning hours after full-time at ANZ Stadium.
It is part of the NRL’S plan to limit player interaction with the general public but still continue the competition amid growing COVID-19 fears.
The move comes only a day after Cowboys chief executive officer Jeff Reibel was adamant the competition must go on.
“I think the way Peter V’landys and Todd Greenberg, and indeed the whole NRL, has approached this gives us the opportunity to continue the competition,” Reibel said.
“This is an evolving situation and I think the important thing is at the moment, the advice we’ve got is it is safe to play under certain conditions.
“Should that continue the way it is, yes we should be playing round two under the conditions given to us.
“We need to have a look at all that modelling, but there is no doubt the preference for us is to continue playing rugby league as long as it is safe for our players to do so.”
The Cowboys will be the first club, along with the Bulldogs, to play in an empty stadium as the NRL ups its attempts to limit the spread of the virus.
It will also mean club members will be unable to attend fixtures until this storm is weathered.
Reibel said given the situation revolved around the health and wellbeing of the community it would be unfair to speculate on the financial future of the club.
But he said given no plans had been made for the competition beyond this weekend, membership reimbursement had not yet been discussed.
“It’s a moving feast. At the moment we haven’t missed a home game so what we need to do is get through round two and let’s have a look at what that looks like as we go into round three,” Reibel said.
“The messages of support for the club have been quite overwhelming.
“What we’re doing is we’re in proactive contact with all stakeholders of our club – members, corporates and partners – around what our next steps are.”
On the field, Cowboys coach Paul Green said his players were in a strong headspace to continue playing regardless of who was in attendance. Green said he and his team refused to let the situation be a distraction and their performance on the field would not be impacted by it.
“I think like everyone, not just our players but humans in general, don’t really deal with the unknown,” Green said.
“That’s what’s probably most off-putting. There’s a lot of information out there, but from what I gather our guys have been pretty good at worrying about the things they can control.”
It is why the NRL’S measure of chartering a plane to fly the team down on game day was an important step.
Cowboys director of football Peter Parr said it might even have its own positives for the playing group.
“The bonuses are we get to have another night at home, sleep in our own beds the night before the game, and we’re travelling by ourselves,” Parr said. charge against Melbourne in round 25 last year.
His comeback reshuffles the forward pack to take on the Canterbury-bankstown Bulldogs, with John Asiata reverting to the pine and Corey Jensen to an extended bench.
Former Maroon Justin