NRL players have begun taking their health into their own hands in the face of the coronavirus pandemic with Manly star Addin Fonua-Blake fronting media on Tuesday morning in a face mask.
While the NRL pushes ahead to play round two without crowds, Fonua-Blake and a handful of Sea Eagles players trained while wearing face masks as an added precaution.
“I thought I’d wear it; just a personal decision. There’s a lot going on in the world so I’m taking a precautionary step,” Fonua-Blake said.
“I’m not scared by the whole thing. I just don’t want to take anything home as I’ve got four young kids of my own and a partner.
“I know the mask doesn’t fully stop the coronavirus but if someone accidentally coughs on me I’d rather have this on.”
The NRL also stepped up its protocols by chartering flights for teams that are travelling interstate over the weekend.
The Rabbitohs will fly to Brisbane on Friday and will fly home the same night.
Canberra will do the same for their game against the Warriors on the Gold Coast.
It comes after Melbourne skipper Cameron Smith called for the NRL season to be suspended and raised fears over travel, particularly through airports for players who have vulnerable loved ones.
Roosters forward Jared Waerea-Hargraves said while he also has concerns about his young family, the season must go ahead – not just for financial reasons.
“For some people, for most people, footy needs to continue,” he said, saying he feels this way because of his dad.
“I spoke to him yesterday and he also said how much he loves watching every game, he sits there and analyses each game and to hear my dad say that footy needs to go on, he’s obviously speaking from a father’s point of view but I know where he’s coming from, for sure.”
Restrictions on contact with media were taken to a new level on Tuesday with South Sydney conducting interviews via video link, while Parramatta set up a teleconference between players and journalists.
The NRL will consult with the nation’s chief medical officer on Tuesday as the league ramps up its efforts to ward off the threat of coronavirus.
The meeting with professor Brendan Murphy comes a day after ARL commission chairman Peter V’landys expressed confidence in the game’s immediate future.
NRL officials will also discuss preventative measures with health minister Greg Hunt, who has previously predicted the virus outbreak to last six months.
Speaking on NRL360 on Monday night, V’landys insisted the governing body would not be rushed into an suspending the 2020 campaign, which would have a disastrous financial implications.
“We want to have that lever in our armoury to suspend the season when we have to. It’s a bit premature to do it on the available advice that we have now,” he said.
