The NRL plans to press on with the 2020 premiership season and expects to continue playing unless it’s told it can no longer do so by government officials.
The competition was again thrown into doubt on Sunday morning when Prime Minister Scott Morrison recommended against “non-essential” travel due to the growing coronavirus pandemic.
He noted that largely concerned interstate and long-distance travel, and that he would work closely with both the NRL and AFL.
But the NRL was on Sunday confident the advice would have no implication on its season, particularly given all interstate travel is now on charter planes.
“In terms of the NRL and AFL and those types of arrangements, I think the principle is important,” Morrison said on Sunday
“But I am sure we can work with both of those agencies, with their respective state and medical chief officers at a federal level, if there are new arrangements that need to be put in place to protect the health and safety of everyone.
“That may be possible, so I am not going to pre-empt those outcomes but I am sure we can work those issues through on a practical case-by-case basis.”
The NRL is desperate to keep the competition alive and is staring down the barrel of a loss of up to $500 million if this year’s campaign is cancelled.
It also revealed it could play until as late in the year as December, if it meant it fulfilled broadcast requirements which include 201 games and three State of Origin encounters.
Another option could include a string of Magic Round style weekends, where players are all locked into one region together to avoid travel.
However, the NRL could face another curve ball as soon as Sunday night if shutdowns or lockdowns are enforced at a meeting between state and federal leaders.
The NRL on Sunday would not publicly comment on that speculation.
Meanwhile, the NRL and players’ union remain in close contact while negotiating final details for self-isolation requirements for players in a bid to protect the sport from the virus.
Players have been urged to exercise common sense in the meantime while they are away from training and games, with the guidelines expected to be finalised early this week.
It is unclear how far those measures will reach, given chairman Peter V’landys did not state last week if it would extend to locations such as cafes.
There are also questions over whether the players would support breach notices being enforced if they were to break self-isolation rules.
