Last Updated: 22/04/20 9:11am
The NRL has the green light from government to restart on May 28 with teams set to begin training on May 4, Australian Rugby League commissioner Wayne Pearce has confirmed.
After two days of meetings and ahead of further talks with the NRL clubs, Pearce on Wednesday said the finer details of the competition structure were still being finalised but, “everyone is supportive of what we’re doing. Everyone is unified into getting back on the field”.
“We reaffirmed that May 28 is the starting date for the competition. We also confirmed that teams will be able to train from May 4,” he said.
The NRL competition was suspended last month after two rounds were played in empty stadiums because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Strict international and domestic travel restrictions and social distancing policies meant group practice sessions at all clubs were cancelled and teams from New Zealand and Queensland state went into lockdown. Sports leagues and events around the world have been cancelled or postponed during the pandemic, although baseball leagues in Taiwan and South Korea have either just resumed or are about to start.
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Pearce said government authorities he had been dealing with supported the resumption of the league, although there’s still no clarity on whether the Broncos, Titans and Cowboys from Queensland state and the Warriors from New Zealand will have to relocate to short-term bases closer to Sydney to be involved in the competition.
Pearce said meetings on Wednesday of Project Apollo – the league’s innovation committee – provided better clarity on the medical process and protocols that need to be put in place for games to go ahead.
“We feel like we owe it to not just the players and coaches but the thousands of staff members at various clubs and associated industries that are out on the unemployment lines, too,” Pearce said.
He said the competition standings from the first two rounds will be carried into the next phase of the season.
It has been a tumultuous week for the NRL, with Todd Greenberg quitting as chief executive after the league’s governing body was criticised by its main broadcaster for wasteful spending.
In a statement Monday, Greenberg said he was resigning by mutual agreement, after reflecting on the needs of the game.