SHOULD WE STAY, OR SHOULD WE GO?
As Aussie politicians and NRL bosses continue to bicker over whether the 2020 competition will resume on May 28, the Warriors seem to have been offered an olive branch – their families will be able to join them over the ditch. Now the question remains, do they want to up sticks and cross the Tasman?
NRL players will have their temperatures taken before they can go on the field and checked at least three times on game day, in a bid to stop any spread of coronavirus.
The NRL will implement a number of strict new biosecurity measures on the return to training next month, before the competition’s planned resumption on May 28.
Central to that will be the heath of its players, with ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys insisting the game has been given official permission to resume next month from Government authorities.
V’landys has managed to keep horse racing on track during the virus in his role as CEO of Racing NSW.
The NRL has also been in constant contact with the NSW Premier’s office, as well as the sports department throughout their suspension, in a bid to plan their safe return.
The NZ Warriors have urgently requested more information on their status, but with May 28 slated they may have to be based in Australia, due to likely travel restrictions. It is believed the NRL will allow their families to be with them, if requested.
The NSW Government says the NRL must discuss its return with health authorities before the game can kick off again next month.
Health minister Brad Hazzard said yesterday the matter was an issue for NSW Health, and not for politicians, on whether the league could resume on May 28.
V’landys said he’d emailed the State Emergency Operations Centre and last week and received positive confirmation.
‘‘We’ve got a letter from the coordinator confirming that we can train and play,’’ V’landys said.
‘‘I got a separate letter off the department which is the State Emergency Operations Centre that is implementing the health order. ‘‘And it says it does not preclude the NRL from commencing the competition. It says in the absence of crowds at relevant stadiums.’’
When asked if the league was willing to sit down with NSW Health over the measures of the NRL’s return, V’landys said he was.
But after watching Australia’s virus curve begin to flatten, V’landys is increasingly confident that won’t be an issue.
‘‘People have to remember it is six to seven weeks away,’’ V’landys said.
‘‘And at some point we’ve got to get back to some kind of normality. And if rugby league can lead that way, well so be it.’’
The NRL must ensure it has minimised any risk to players, with guidelines off the field that are well beyond the measures put in place by the Government.
‘‘And as long as we have some pretty strict biosecurity measures, we are pretty confident.’’