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Opinion

Plan C for Covid: the NRL's last chance

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Roar Guru
13th July, 2021
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There was a sense of inevitability about the relocation of 12 NRL clubs to Queensland. Were it not for the precarious nature of the situation, there might be scope for wisecracks about Queenslanders finally being able to see some quality rugby league.

From a purely sporting sense, there might be a feeling of schadenfreude. After so many years of New South Welsh numerical club domination, topflight rugby league is (temporarily) relocating lock stock and barrel to the Sunshine State. After the famine comes the feast.

But the NRL cannot act as if this is mission complete. Just arriving at the current status quo was no mean feat. In their negotiations with the Queensland government, the battering rams of 2020 have become 2021’s arch-diplomats.

It seems harsh on Canberra and Newcastle, both outside of the Greater Sydney area, having to move. But with state borders shutting, their hands were forced. It’s a minor miracle the league is continuing.

I am personally aware of the positive impact sport can have in these trying times. God knows where I would’ve ended up were it not for rugby league and football during England’s lockdowns. There are many anxious people without any idea of when restrictions will ease – families unsure how they will earn enough money to provide.

Watching the Dogs capitulate and moaning about the six-again may seem trivial. But to some, it will be the welcome release, the distraction from lockdown and anti-vax messages that’s needed.

But this isn’t the end of the chapter. The epidemiological situation can change rapidly, and rugby league is on its last chance saloon. The viewing interests of homebound fans will be brushed aside, curtains pulled on the competition, should governments deem it necessary for public health.

There are no guarantees against further Covid spread.

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The virus has already breached ‘Fortress Australia’ multiple times and it will inevitably lead to more outbreaks.

Put simply, the NRL is running out of places to run away to. Should Covid manage to become established in the general Queensland population, it’s hard to see any other state welcoming the competition. No matter the hopes of Shaun Johnson, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern would never countenance an Aotearoa migration. Teams could potentially migrate north to regional Queensland if any outbreak was restricted to South-East Queensland.

Alternatively, with all the teams sans Melbourne in one state, even if Queensland were to lock down, the show could go on as it is now. Players in strict bubbles, given exemptions to train and play, without having to travel interstate. The only difference from now would be the general public being locked out and banged up at home.

But this would require a hefty chunk of government goodwill and buy-in. That links the far larger threat of Covid derailment: players failing to abide by bubble requirements.

Such restrictions are very mentally taxing – particularly without families to begin with. Some of the contradictions appear mystifying on an individual health level, and as much as players know their responsibilities, it comes down, as Josh McGuire noted, to thinking they won’t get caught. Players, at the end of the day, are human.

Play was only allowed to continue, the circus only allowed to move north of the Tweed, because of guarantees to stick to bubble life.

State governments are already aware of the us vs them mentality from the general population when it comes to Covid-restrictions. The idea that footy players get special treatment and exemptions mean that any biosecurity slip-ups by the NRL even remotely resembling the St George-Illawarra debacle would be the perfect excuse to shut it down.

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It’s come as quite a surprise that, with vaccination now available to all Australian adults, the NRL haven’t made inoculation a prerequisite, or at least make players sign a waiver as they have done with flu. It would go a long way to rebuilding trust, demonstrating the league’s commitment to public health and sensibility.

If there are outbreaks within squads, it’s possible that we might see game postponements, cancellations, even some form of points percentage table in a worst-case scenario. With the World Cup at the end of October, there isn’t scope to push play-off dates back like last year.

Of course, the future is unpredictable, particularly with an epidemic doing the rounds. New South Wales may soon quash transmission and allow the clubs to return. But the NRL must plan for all eventualities – up to and including postponing the competition as a last resort.

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