Melbourne Storm captain Cameron Smith has warned the league restarting the competition under isolation conditions could take a heavy toll on players' mental health, writes Andrew Webster
The NRL is investigating out every possibility to ensure that doesn’t happen, with chairman Peter V’landys pushing for a June restart involving teams locked down in “bubbles” to get the season going again.
Storm captain Cameron Smith isn't keen on the idea of a rugby league bubble — but understands the need for the game to return as soon as possible.“If we’re locked down, or in isolation, that can’t be good either; where you wake up in your hotel room, go to training and play, then back to your hotel room. That can’t be great for people’s state of mind.”spoke after the round-two win
Many NRL players, including Smith’s Melbourne teammate Dale Finucane, are prepared to play in the bubble. But Smith himself would prefer the game waited until teams could safely travel again, playing in front of no crowds if necessary. Of greater concern for the players was the revelation there was only $120m in cash reserves for a game that's earned billions of dollars in revenue in recent years.
Smith said the chaos sparked by the coronavirus pandemic had not changed his mind about his playing future. He was expected to make a call mid-year on whether he would retire but started this season with an open mind. If anything, the delay could prolong it.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The Great Barrier Reef is having a rough year too, but it's adapting to changeThe Great Barrier Reef experiences the most widespread bleaching ever recorded, with damage stretching throughout all three regions of the reef for the first time.
Read more »
Australia publishes virus recovery tallyAustralian health officials plan to update a daily coronavirus recovery tally to raise hopes that 'most people who get this disease do recover' | michaelfowler08
Read more »
A time tunnel to our pre-industrial atmosphere could hold the secrets of our future climateTrapped deep under layers of solid Antarctic ice are air bubbles from before the industrial age holding clues to a climate riddle which could radically reshape our understanding of global warming.
Read more »
'Toughen up': NSW Swifts coach slams NRL players over handling of pay cutsBriony Akle says complaints from NRL players during lengthy salary negotiations were 'hard to watch' from a netballer's perspective.
Read more »
Get the NRL party started, but don't trash the brandComment: The NRL wants to get the party going again as soon as possible, maybe as soon as the end of next month. But it needs to be wary about trashing the product, writes Andrew Webster
Read more »
'I would be filthy': NRL to consider controversial scrapping of points from opening roundsNewcastle Knights captain Mitchell Pearce was furious with the notion of points being taken from teams.
Read more »