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The NRL have locked in May 28 restart date after getting the green light from the government and all teams outside of NSW will be required to relocate.

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Round 20

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NRL GET GREEN LIGHT FROM GOV TO RESTART ON MAY 28

Points from the opening two rounds of the NRL will stand with all clubs able to return to training on May 4 ahead of next month’s planned restart. The NRL confirmed on Wednesday that all teams would have a three-week pre-season before the competition aims to resume on May 28, with specifics yet to be finalised.

Strict new biosecurity measures will be a focus of the return, with harsh penalties for anyone who flouts the rules.

The development followed Wayne Pearce’s Project Apollo meeting on Wednesday morning and a late-afternoon telephone hook up with all 16 club chief executives.

“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,” Pearce told reporters.

“The competition points earnt in the first two rounds will also carry over to the extended competition.

“Everyone is supportive of what we’re doing. It is very unified around what we feel is right for the game, and we feel getting back on the field is right for the game.”

RLPA chief executive Clint Newton said players remain optimistic of resuming the competition, but will need further clarity before the dates should be considered definite.

Newton said the RLPA needs to see final biosecurity measures, as well as assurances on player safety.

“The outstanding matters, such as confirmation that players will have access to the appropriate medical facilities and services should they be injured, are paramount before reaching a definitive return date,” he said in a statement.

“The collaborative process between the NRL, clubs and players remains critical in ensuring we make informed decisions in what is a challenging landscape.”

Players have so far been able to train at home gyms and individually, but the change in rule means they can come back to their club bases as a full squad.

Clubs had previously agreed not to resume to training until the Warriors were able to do so, with the club still stuck in lockdown in New Zealand.

Lockdown measures will ease across the Tasman next week, but the club is yet to gain a travel exemption to arrive in Australia.

Players and staff are also likely to have to remain in quarantine for two weeks once landing, however there is some chance the NRL could push for them to be able to train.

Effectively that would be the only way the Warriors could resume training at the same time as other clubs.

“We’re working through all those details, we haven’t finalised that yet,” Pearce said.

“We are working with the government authorities to get them over here, get them through a quarantine period and have them ready with the other teams for the start of the competition.” The full structure of the competition also remains up in the air, with discussions between the NRL, Nine and Foxtel ongoing.

Pearce was unable to confirm on Wednesday when the grand final was scheduled and whether State of Origin will be played during or after the club competition.

There remains a school of thought that Origin could be pushed back to as late as possible in the regular season, which would allow for matches to be caught up if required.

Meanwhile, Pearce also revealed the NRL is hoping interstate players will not have to relocate and set up camp in NSW.

At this stage, none of the three Queensland-based clubs will be able to travel back and forth across the border while the Victorian government’s position is unclear.

- AAP

V’LANDYS HOPES FOR BROADCAST TALKS TO BE FINISHED BY WEEK’S END

Peter V’landys hopes a deal can be struck with broadcasters to unlock the details around the NRL’s return by the end of the week, but admits it will be a challenge.

Wednesday shapes as the biggest day of meetings for the game during the coronavirus pandemic, when ARLC chair V’landys again speaks with Nine and Fox Sports about the code’s planned return on May 28. The broadcasters will have a key say in the structure of the season, as well as the new financial value of each round.

Fox Sports and Nine agreed to pay $1.8 billion from 2018 to 2022 but are renegotiating after the pandemic shut down the game.

The plan is to move towards a similar decentralised governance model like the English Premier League, with clubs still receiving $13 million each year even if broadcast revenues fall or the salary cap is slashed.

Discussions over simulcast and exclusive games between the two networks are also expected to form part of that, as well as any changes to the weekend’s schedule.

“We’re trying our best to finalise all the broadcast things this week, and that’s optimistic,” V’landys told AAP.

“Because they are very complicated. And you have two partners, not just one. And you’ve got to work between the two of them.

“But they are certainly progressing. There are meetings every day. It’s not an easy progress. But we will get there.”

Reaching a deal with broadcasters will give the NRL a clearer picture about the competition’s structure, schedule and the placement of State of Origin. The Apollo Committee will meet to discuss the practicalities around team training and health, after the biosecurity measures were presented to the commission on Tuesday.

Those measures are also expected to be shown to the players and clubs on Wednesday afternoon, as they move closer towards a return to training in coming weeks.

Likewise, it will give clarity to a number of clubs.

All three Queensland franchises will likely go into camp in NSW, while Melbourne could join them dependent on the Victorian government’s measures. The NRL must still decide if families will be put up alongside the players, and what other support will be in place.

More pressing is the fate of the Warriors, who are waiting on further details from the league before flying to Australia.

While still awaiting an exemption to arrive in the country from New Zealand, the Warriors have also asked questions over player remuneration and medical and family support.

“We’ve got to do some more work on (the Warriors),” V’landys said.

“That’s going through all the process at the moment with the government approvals as well.”

— AAP

GREENBERG SPEAKS

Todd Greenberg has spoken publicly for the first time since quitting as NRL chief executive on Monday.

Greenberg spectacularly quit his post immediately after it had become clear ARLC chairman Peter V’landys is now running the show.

Channel 7 caught up with Greenberg as he walked with family members and his dogs on Wednesday morning.

“It’s a great time, I’m out walking with my family, with my dogs, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier,” Greenberg said.

“I’m not (upset) at all. It’s been a great journey, I’ve had a lovely time working with the NRL.

“(No regrets) whatsoever, I’ve loved every single minute of it.”

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PLAYERS, CLUBS FACE HEAVY SANCTIONS

Players and clubs could be fined or even suspended if they breach strict new protocols the NRL plans to put in place.

The Daily Telegraph reports V’landys will come down hard on anyone found to be ignoring the guidelines, designed to keep people safe from coronavirus and keep the NRL on track for a May 28 restart.

The innovations committee has signed off on and will implement an extensive document, which is essentially a checklist to prevent COVID-19 from infiltrating the NRL.

Everyone involved in the NRL when clubs return to training on May 4 will need to adhere to the protocols.

“There will be sanctions (if they are breached),” V’landys said.

“There has to be a big deterrent because one reckless act will bring the game down.

“We will treat any breach very seriously and there will be sanctions. The level of the sanctions will depend on the consultation with the clubs and Project Apollo.”

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GALLEN CALLS ON V’LANDYS

V’landys says he doesn’t want the NRL CEO role, but some of the game’s loudest voices are calling for him to step up and replace Greenberg.

Retired Cronulla champion Paul Gallen wants V’landys to commit to rugby league full-time and take the job.

“I don’t know why V’landys doesn’t become executive chair, I really don’t,” Gallen told Wide World of Sports.

“He seems to like the power, he’s very, very good at it, without a doubt.

“He’s got great leadership skills and this pandemic has shown that first-hand.

“So I’d like to see him do it but it’s a personal decision and if he doesn’t want to do it he won’t do it.

“Come on Pete, we need you. Get the job done mate, get over here.”

There’s been a lengthy list of candidates thrown up since Greenberg quit the post on Monday with immediate effect.



PROJECT APOLLO’S DECISION ON SEASON STRUCTURE DELAYED

The NRL’s Project Apollo team will meet as planned on Wednesday but a revised season structure may not be finalised until next week.

Just a day after Greenberg’s exit as the NRL’s chief executive, the ARL Commission was locked in a pre-scheduled meeting for the majority of Tuesday. Broadcast partner meetings are also still ongoing with Nine and Foxtel, as the league presses ahead with plans for a May 28 restart from the coronavirus shutdown.

The outcome of those meetings will be crucial in determining the structure of the reworked 2020 season, which the league had hoped to be far clearer by the end of this week.

There had been some thought Wayne Pearce’s innovation committee meeting could be pushed back again, after it was originally delayed from Friday to allow for broadcast talks.

But the NRL confirmed it will still go ahead on Wednesday, with stand-in chief executive Andrew Abdo already holding a seat on the committee.

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Along with the likes of Don Furner, Trent Robinson and Graham Annesley, the committee will discuss the length of the new season, a grand final date and when State of Origin will be played.

The league is, meanwhile, in talks with the NSW government and had originally been expected to put forward a pitch for the game’s return this week. Part of that discussion will be the number of interstate teams which will be based in Sydney.

Several biosecurity measures have been discussed, including blood testing players, temperature checks and the logging of family members’ movements.

The Warriors are still waiting to have an exemption made to allow them to enter Australia with the country’s borders shut.

Players and staff will likely have to spend two weeks in quarantine on arriving in Australia, although the NRL could push for them to be allowed to train in that time.

Clubs had originally planned for their players to start training together again in less than a fortnight on May 4, although they could be made to wait until the Warriors are also able to do so.

-AAP

THE EMAIL FROM A CLUB BOSS THAT PUSHED GREENBERG’S RESIGNATION

The Daily Telegraphreports that ARLC chair Peter V’landys read an email at 5am on Monday morning from an upset club CEO complaining about Todd Greenberg and his senior executive staff.

Later that day, in the offices of Racing NSW, Greenberg met with V’landys and handed in his resignation after four years as the CEO of the NRL.

The email, which was sent late Sunday night before V’landys read early on Monday, reportedly criticised Greenberg and fellow executives’ lack of communication after this CEO had been trying to get information from head office about club grants for two weeks.

It’s understood Greenberg receive a payout around $500,000.