The NRL has confirmed the 2020 season has been suspended indefinitely as safety fears from the rapid spread of the coronavirus left the league with “no other option”.

ARL Chief Peter V’landys said the league’s expert advisers felt player safety could be “no longer guaranteed” as NRL CEO Todd Greenberg lamented a “deeply sad day” for the game.

“We’re in this together and we will get through this together,” Greenberg declared alongside V’landys at a press conference on Monday evening.

“We were alarmed at how this changed in 24 hours. Today it took a dramatic turn,” V’landys added, noting that welfare concerns for the Warriors, who can now fly home to New Zealand, contributed to the decision.

Round 20

KEY POINTS

- Season suspended indefinitely;

- Experts couldn’t guarantee player safety;

- Players will not return to training tomorrow;

- Warriors’ predicament contributed to decision;

- Grave financial fears for NRL and clubs;

- Bosses fear game will never be the same.

The NRL were thrashing out a variety of options on Monday as they strived to keep the game going, including splitting the competition into conferences.

In the end, the Queensland Government closing the borders and the advice of the Federal Government chief medical officer Brendan Murphy forced the NRL’s hand.

But V’landys hasn’t ruled out a return in 2020, maintaining his optimism in the face of a potentially “catastrophic financial crisis”.

“We’re looking at a lot of different options,” V’landys told NRL 360. “All options are still on the table.

“Our primary objective now is to get the game back on as quickly as possible.

“I must stress that the health of our players will be foremost in our minds with any decision.”

The rugby league power brokers were determined to try and find a way to keep the competition running but ultimately they’ve been forced to suspend the competition indefinitely.

A scheduled 5pm phone hook-up between the 16 NRL clubs and CEO Todd Greenberg was pushed back until 5.45pm after news of the NRL competition being suspended began to spread.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s announcement earlier Monday put further pressure on the NRL’s fight to survive amidst the increasingly severe restrictions in place across Australia to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Queensland’s borders will shut from Tuesday, in line with similar measures taken in other states — notably NSW and Victoria.

The NRL had been considering a range of options, from splitting the competition into two conferences across two states, to moving the entire league into a small Queensland community just outside Gladstone.

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‘We’re in this together’: Full NRL statement on devastating shutdown

The NRL’s decision follows that of the AFL, which announced on Sunday it would suspend the season until at least May 31.

The A-League is now the sole remaining football code in operation in Australia and one of very few in the world.

The NBA was the first major sporting competition to suspend operation after a star player contracted COVID-19. The F1 season opener in Melbourne was then cancelled before a range of other suspensions, including the English Premier League and the withdrawal of Australian athletes from the Olympic Games.

The NRL’s fight to stay open came in part to avoid a “catastrophic” financial predicament, with the game’s powerbrokers fearful that some clubs could go under should the game be interrupted for an extended period.