NRL to definitely resume on May 28, clubs keep points - Sydney Morning Herald

The NRL will "definitely" resume its competition on its proposed May 28 date and each club will keep their competition points from the opening two rounds.

The NRL's Project Apollo innovations committee scrapped calls for the standings to be reset after the season was suspended following the first two rounds and emerged supremely confident football will be back at the end of next month amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"What we achieved today was a lot more clarity around the medical process and what those protocols are," Australian Rugby League Commissioner and Project Apollo head Wayne Pearce said.

"We clarified that May 28 is a definite and also confirmed that May 4 is the resumption date for training.

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"What was also confirmed was that the competition points that had been earned in the first two rounds will carry over to the extended competition.

"Everyone is supportive of what we're doing. Everyone is unified into getting back on the field.

The Gold Coast Titans, along with Brisbane and North Queensland, could be forced to relocate to NSW in order for the NRL season to resume.Credit:AAP

"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."

The NRL is still awaiting clearance from the Australian and New Zealand governments for the Warriors to arrive in Australia on May 3, a day before the rest of the competition resumes training.

The Warriors have campaigned to be housed at a beachside recreational facility at Lennox Head on the far north coast, allowing them to prepare for the season relaunch in a quarantined complex.

"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 still 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 are 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.

"As of today, those teams would have to come into camp in NSW," Pearce said.

"But the landscape is changing pretty quickly. The government authorities are very supportive of what we are looking to do.

"Because we actually are looking to hold ourselves to a very high standard. It will certainly exceed what community expectations are."

WITH AAP

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiamh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnNtaC5jb20uYXUvc3BvcnQvbnJsL25ybC10by1kZWZpbml0ZWx5LXJlc3VtZS1vbi1tYXktMjgtY2x1YnMta2VlcC1wb2ludHMtMjAyMDA0MjItcDU0bTg0Lmh0bWzSAWpodHRwczovL2FtcC5zbWguY29tLmF1L3Nwb3J0L25ybC9ucmwtdG8tZGVmaW5pdGVseS1yZXN1bWUtb24tbWF5LTI4LWNsdWJzLWtlZXAtcG9pbnRzLTIwMjAwNDIyLXA1NG04NC5odG1s?oc=5

2020-04-22 07:47:49Z
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