NRL plans to re-launch on 28 May

[Copa]

1 hour ago, Southerner said:

I hear Australia hasn’t been as near badly affected by the virus as us here in UK. Last I heard only 50 deaths!!

Maybe 28th May doesn’t seem too unrealistic if cases stay under control. 

I suspect here in Australia we’ll just get it over a much longer period of time.

We have closed borders between various states, harsh fines of around £600 for even relaxing on a park bench in some places, lower population density and a few other factors that will assist.

We also have mandatory 2 weeks quarantine under military and police guard for anyone entering the country. Once they are out of quarantine they may face a further 2 weeks isolation if they travel to their home in another state depending on that state’s rules.

The virus, however, will probably flush through Australia like it will everywhere else but over a longer period of time. I suspect it will really kick off in Sydney first.

[Yakstorm]

The impact of COVID-19 on Australia has been quite different than that in Europe. Whether it be by good luck or good fortune, or both, we've been able to keep our ICU numbers below 100 people nationally and the number of deaths is at 51.

We've also had extensive testing across the population and closed our borders and implemented social distancing a lot earlier than the UK.

With our daily new infection rate dropping significantly (both percentage and total) we're currently getting to the other side our first wave and whilst there will be no doubt that there will be a second and third wave of infections, the NRL resuming in a fan-free environment is unlikely to be a big contributor to that.

Now it's important to note that the NRL hasn't made this decision in isolation, the Federal Government and CMO has always said the professional sporting competitions could go ahead, the playing wasn't the issue, they just needed to ensure they complied with the other restrictions which of course impacted things like inter-state travel.

In seven weeks time states like NSW are hoping to go back to level 1 restrictions (which is what Round 2 was played under), so the general state of play could be quite different anyway. 

Comments like the camera crew will need to also isolate are just silly, these individuals don't have to be on or near the field and weren't there for Rounds One and Two, so chances of cross contamination are extremely low.

As for the comments, what if a player gets it, well then it's just like if any other member of the community gets it. They and anyone else they had contact with are isolated and tested.

If that means some teams then have to miss weeks or the competition pauses, so be it, but let's be realistic, there is no vaccine for this virus and there is unfortunately a high probability we won't see one in the next few years at least, so this will be a scenario all sports may have to get use to.

[robinson2]

In football, all of the broadcasters such as 7 and Fox lick the AFL to high heaven but in rugby league, the broadcasters and media take every opportunity to pan it. I was explaining this to my housemate here in Melbourne. I remember the BBC hatchet job about clubs' debts a few years ago on the eve of the season. Nine putting the boot in now is pathetic. Unpopular though it is to say down here, I think Peter V'landys is doing a great job and is the most effective leader in the sport for a very long time. I suspect, however, there will be a fly in the ointment unfortunately.

[ojx]

17 hours ago, RMBJ said:

This looks like a 'we desperately need the money and to hell with player welfare and any other consequences' strategy to me.

That's the truth. Why deny it?

[Bleep1673]

Can we post to Sydney a new grip on reality, as they have lost theirs

[Davo5]

https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-season-2020-return-date-brad-hazzard-health-minister-response/news-story/5cb1467dc3991c74d71102903f78c2b1

[THE RED ROOSTER]

In addition to the above

Channel Nine would like the season called off it appears

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/real-reason-behind-nines-scathing-attack-at-nrl/news-story/28cff851db789cd7d96b10cae05c9ad8

The Warriors want questions answered by the NRL before crossing the ditch for six months

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/real-reason-behind-nines-scathing-attack-at-nrl/news-story/28cff851db789cd7d96b10cae05c9ad8

The Players want to talk about... money

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/120960162/players-want-cost-and-salary-assurances-before-resuming-nrl-season

And a powerful tongue-in-cheek opinion piece in The Sydney Morning Herald on how the NRL cannot turn a Tin-Ear to the rest of society.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/120962420/the-nrl-cant-help-itself-by-breaking-ranks-with-australia-and-the-world

[The Great Dane]

1 hour ago, Davo5 said:

https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-season-2020-return-date-brad-hazzard-health-minister-response/news-story/5cb1467dc3991c74d71102903f78c2b1

What he said.

[The Great Dane]

26 minutes ago, THE RED ROOSTER said:

In addition to the above

Channel Nine would like the season called off it appears

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/real-reason-behind-nines-scathing-attack-at-nrl/news-story/28cff851db789cd7d96b10cae05c9ad8

Nine are trying to abuse the current situation to force the NRL to renegotiate the broadcasting rights contract.

In other words Nine, like all legacy media, is going broke, and they are trying to back out of their contract with the NRL so that they renegotiate and get the product for cheap.

[Bleep1673]

29 minutes ago, The Great Dane said:

Nine are trying to abuse the current situation to force the NRL to renegotiate the broadcasting rights contract.

In other words Nine, like all legacy media, is going broke, and they are trying to back out of their contract with the NRL so that they renegotiate and get the product for cheap.

Depending on how this season goes on, they may have to renegotiate contract for next year, NRL can always fall back on the Leagues Clubs system that relies on the gambling habits of locals, but both NRL & SuperLeague may be on half money in 2021, at least.

Same as Football, Cricket & Union.

[The Great Dane]

1 hour ago, Bleep1673 said:

Depending on how this season goes on, they may have to renegotiate contract for next year, NRL can always fall back on the Leagues Clubs system that relies on the gambling habits of locals, but both NRL & SuperLeague may be on half money in 2021, at least.

Same as Football, Cricket & Union.

I grant that the pandemic could effect next years season as well, but unless the 2021 competition is severely effected or doesn't go ahead why would that mean that the NRL and ESL may be on half money?

As long as they are meeting their contractual agreements to their broadcasters then they should get paid what they are owed, and the NRL is working hard to meet their contractual obligations.

Besides, Nine are trying to totally renegotiate the remainder of the contract, not just change the terms for the time that the contract is effected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Considering the way that Nine has treated RL and the NRL over it's time as the NRL's broadcast partner, particularly over the last 10 years, the NRL shouldn't give them an inch. The NRL should be talking to channel Ten on the side just in case Nine really wants to push their luck, because Nine needs the NRL more than the NRL needs Nine.

[Bleep1673]

1 hour ago, The Great Dane said:

I grant that the pandemic could effect next years season as well, but unless the 2021 competition is severely effected or doesn't go ahead why would that mean that the NRL and ESL may be on half money?

Affected

[RMBJ]

3 hours ago, Bleep1673 said:

Depending on how this season goes on, they may have to renegotiate contract for next year, NRL can always fall back on the Leagues Clubs system that relies on the gambling habits of locals, but both NRL & SuperLeague may be on half money in 2021, at least.

Same as Football, Cricket & Union.

The sort of people who put half their wage packet into the Pokies won't have a wage packet anymore.

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

"Australia's deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly has questioned the ability of the National Rugby League to return by 28 May, given the on-going coronavirus precautions."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/52243513

 

[Copa]

The government medical officer seems to be concerned more about the coaches because of their older age group than the players.

[Davo5]

https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/nsw-government-backhands-an-nrl-return-for-may-28/20ae1f41-251f-4412-8b11-b63e0dd9039c?ocid=Social-NRLFS

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

7 hours ago, Copa said:

The government medical officer seems to be concerned more about the coaches because of their older age group than the players.

I'm totally baffled as to how you've concluded that!

[Copa]

1 hour ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

I'm totally baffled as to how you've concluded that!

I got that from what he said.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/apr/10/nrl-restart-date-paul-kelly-brad-hazzard

“For them [the players], it may not be a big problem,” he said. “There are other people around the teams – Wayne Bennett is in his 70s, he would be in a vulnerable group; Ricky Stuart with the mighty Raiders, he would potentially be in a vulnerable group – so thinking about the team, not just the players but the support around them, is important.“

 

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

13 minutes ago, Copa said:

I got that from what he said.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/apr/10/nrl-restart-date-paul-kelly-brad-hazzard

“For them [the players], it may not be a big problem,” he said. “There are other people around the teams – Wayne Bennett is in his 70s, he would be in a vulnerable group; Ricky Stuart with the mighty Raiders, he would potentially be in a vulnerable group – so thinking about the team, not just the players but the support around them, is important.“

 

Ok hadn't seen that but he does qualify his statement with 'may' because he really doesn't know. Would one death among the players be acceptable?

[THE RED ROOSTER]

The letter to the NRL allowing them to restart came from the NSW Commissioner of Police - Read it here:

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-live-peter-vlandys-claims-nsw-government-gave-green-light-on-may-restart/news-story/e1a25548baeaea6caff753cb09dab901

[Oldbear]

Interestingly the sports news over here is that the NHL is looking at ways to restart their season using 4 venues, all of which are located in smaller cities away from main population centres, they also say that Major League Baseball is looking at actually starting their season using the spring training venues in Arizona and Florida. The one thing I don’t understand with any of these ideas is that both leagues have US and Canadian players on their teams rosters, and it is highly likely that when the NHL was suspended, and MLB delayed, that those players went home, now with cross border travel suspended, those players are almost certainly stuck in their home countries, isn’t that the case with the NRL, the Warriors are in NZ, are other Kiwi players.? If so does the NRL start without the Warriors, if so what happens to the competition?

[Pulga]

Thought this was interesting:

The UK has 2.66 times the population of Australia but 2,100 times as many COVID-19 deaths.

 

I'm assuming you can still buy food in the UK. So you'd have to serve an awful lot of customers in Australia to get anywhere near the same exposure you would as a cashier in the UK.

Say there's 600 people including players, staff etc who want to resume play, they're orders of magnitude better off than most in the UK.

That's without stringent testing of players and staff and the assumed continuation of the dropoff of cases.

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/sport/2020/apr/13/nrl-season-2020-return-date 

[RMBJ]

On 12/04/2020 at 08:15, Pulga said:

Thought this was interesting:

The UK has 2.66 times the population of Australia but 2,100 times as many COVID-19 deaths.

 

I'm assuming you can still buy food in the UK. So you'd have to serve an awful lot of customers in Australia to get anywhere near the same exposure you would as a cashier in the UK.

Say there's 600 people including players, staff etc who want to resume play, they're orders of magnitude better off than most in the UK.

That's without stringent testing of players and staff and the assumed continuation of the dropoff of cases.

Australia is 32 times bigger than the UK. The population density of Australia is 2.66 persons/km2. In the United Kingdom it is 248.25 persons/ km2 or 93 times bigger.

[Pulga]

5 hours ago, SL17 said:

Testing isn't a vaccine.

No, it's not. Nobody is saying it is. It's all risk management.

Someone should work out if the risks of getting then dying of COVID-19 at 35 years old or younger are more or less than dying from a tackle in a season.

 

Edit: just read there's been no deaths in Australia in anyone under 50.

Cameron Smith is getting long in the tooth but this is ridiculous.