The NRL is in emergency talks about splitting the 16-team competition into conferences to counter the shutdown of the Queensland borders.

As the landscape in Australia changes by the hour, NRL powerbrokers are thrashing out alternative options in a bid to try and keep rugby league afloat.

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Round 20

One of the options being discussed involves situating a number of teams in Queensland and continuing to play games.

ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys will appear live on NRL 360 tonight from 6.30pm on Fox League 502.

All 16 clubs CEOs be part of a phone hook-up at 5pm today with NRL boss Todd Greenberg. It follows an earlier phone hook-up between the ARL Commission.

The development comes as Greenberg announced head office will close down until May 1 with the majority of staff forced to take leave.

The football operations team headed by Graham Annesley will remain along with other essential members of the NRL executive.

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Under the radical two-conference plan, the three teams already based in Queensland – Brisbane, North Queensland and Gold Coast – could be joined by the Warriors.

The Warriors are currently situated across the state borderline in the NSW town of Kingscliff but could be relocated to Queensland.

It’s also been floated whether the Melbourne Storm and Canberra Raiders could be relocated to Queensland to continue playing games.

The high-level talks are all a moving feast after the Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a shutdown of the Queensland border from midnight on Wednesday.

The NRL is currently awaiting word from the Queensland government whether elite sporting teams will be exempt from border restrictions.

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Under the South Australian lockout, elite sporting teams are exempt.

If they are not, then the option of splitting teams into conferences will be further explored.

Under the conference concept, the NRL teams based in NSW could also continue to play games despite the national shutdown.