Representative star Ben Hunt concedes he would be willing to take a pay cut to keep the NRL and clubs viable if the game is financially impacted by the coronavirus.
The NRL remained in meetings over its future on Monday, with some players conceding they wondered if the game would go on after the AFL postponed its season on Sunday.
Rugby league is however desperate to continue with the premiership and make up for any games lost, as they risk around $13 million for each round abandoned during the year.
Clubs have already taken a hit with locked-out stadiums, while the forced closure of leagues clubs under strict new laws could also hurt the bottom line of sides.
ARLC chairman Peter V’landys said on Sunday talks would begin over player pay cuts, given there is room in the CBA to drop wages if revenue falls dramatically.
St George Illawarra halfback Hunt said it would only fall in line with the rest of society if rugby league players were affected.
“We haven’t really spoken about it as a group, it hasn’t really come up yet,” Hunt said.
“But my thinking of it as a league and personally I’m happy to keep playing. If we have to take a little cut then so be it.
“There are a lot of people out there who are going to be doing it a lot harder than us and losing their jobs completely.
“If we just have to take a pay cut at some stage then that is the way it’s going to be, and life will go on.”
Hunt’s views were echoed by Corey Norman, while Queensland star Cameron Munster also conceded it was a possibility on Sunday night.
“I’m easy come easy go,” Norman said.
“If it means we can still play then yeah (I would be okay with pay cuts).”
The Rugby League Players’ Association were on Monday continuing their talks with the NRL, largely over new self-isolation rules to be put in place for players.
At the Dragons, players have already begun staying at home outside of training and playing, conceding it’s what must be done to keep the competition alive.
Players were also unmoved by any risks associated with training together, confident the strictest standards were in place despite public gyms now being closed.
And they insisted they were happy to play on through the pandemic in the name of entertainment, provided government and health officials continued to allow the competition to proceed.
“Everyone is just locked down at home, you can’t really do much,” Hunt said.
“You’re going to get pretty bored of doing the same things over again.
“There’s a large population of Australia who enjoy their footy on the weekends, and if we can keep giving it to them I’m sure they’re going to enjoy it.”