Payten says club vigilant in its fight against Covid-19
COWBOYS coach Todd Payten says the club is looking at potential options to protect players from Covid-19 as the run to the NRL finals heats up.
Winger Murray Taulagi looked fatigued in his return to NRL action against the Wests Tigers on Sunday after contracting the virus before the State of Origin decider in Brisbane.
Payten said the Cowboys had followed the Covid protocols with Taulagi but he was still struggling with the after-effects of the illness.
“He was really sick,” Payten said. “We did what we had to do with all the protocols, and he got through that.
“He was blowing in his first game back. It affects people differently and he looked gassed at different times.”
With the number of Covid cases growing across the country, Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys has confirmed that biosecurity bubbles could return before the finals series.
“We’re going to monitor it carefully,” he said. “We listen to expert advice, but the system is working.
“All we have to do is educate the players and we are doing that. We’ve been meeting with clubs and advising them of the greater risks.”
Payten said the Cowboys would be willing to explore all options as they chased a finals spot.
“If the NRL want to pay for us to go to live on the Gold Coast, I’ll take all the boys down,” he said after the narrow win over the Tigers.
“We have had a couple of discussions around things that may derail us at different times and Covid was a prominent part of that discussion.
“As a group, we need to make some smart decisions around what we’re doing outside of rugby league.”
Co-captain Chad Townsend said the players would continue to do everything they could to keep themselves safe.
“We had a good chat as a team … about what we are prepared to do to be comfortable at the back end of the year,” he said.
“All of the boys said they were prepared to do anything.”