holdzy
State of Origin Captain
Contributor
- May 5, 2016
- 9,376
- 9,216
Who would have thought a few years ago he would end up as the last bloke left from the 2015 GF?
Who would have thought a few years ago he would end up as the last bloke left from the 2015 GF?
Big Pete
International Captain
- Mar 12, 2008
- 32,052
- 25,570
The big concern for the NRL is maintaining the lower grades. They've been abandoned the past two years and considering how rampant it is in the community teams are going to struggle to field numbers and keep players healthy when they have opportunities in the top grade.
I believe it's in the NRL's best interest to keep these competitions running as the gap between the marquee NRL talent and the reserve grade talent is growing by the game. Not only do these players need experience, they need the freedom to be selected when opportunities arise which appears to be far more common moving forward.
BroncsFan
International Captain
Contributor
- Jul 28, 2016
- 22,850
- 33,789
I'd imagine QLD cup and NSW cup fall under state govt directives and potentially align with community sports??
If that's the case it would seem like the state govt probably wont suspend community sports moving forward (given they have let rip)... although I'm not sure how or if they may put any controls on it, given it is basically incentivising a petri dish
If so the questions then become how professional and amateur/community sport interact when they're dependent on each other... specifically how will ISC players integrate with NRL teams (if there ends up being different rules for NRL vs community sports)... but also how will fringe NRL squad members get game time if they're separated from playing with community teams (pending NRL biosecurity rules vs community sports / public allowances)... which has been the issue you flagged for going on 2 years now.
I'm not sure how a professional league can cover their bases, based on the duty of care you flagged in your post, whilst also keeping the comp running in a "covid free" environment.
Expanding the squads could allow a pseudo reserve grade comp for fringe first graders, but also allow some buffer for squads if they're hit with covid cases (an expanded squad would give time to quaratine extra players into a bubble environment if half the squad are isolating).
It's not great, but it comes down to what the NRL intend to do for the season... will they go bubble mode and separate the NRL teams to ensure duty of care or does it become more fluid with positive symptomatic cases removed as they're identified, but basically the NRL going with a "let it rip" approach as well
Kimlo
International Captain
Senior Staff
- Apr 26, 2008
- 34,580
- 35,552
Bubble is unfair on the players they should just run under gov rules like everyone else.
Galah
State of Origin Rep
- Mar 28, 2019
- 7,101
- 11,544
I was in Vancouver for that game still remember his try and giving all the random girlboys heaps of shit.
Lonely walk home
Big Pete
International Captain
- Mar 12, 2008
- 32,052
- 25,570
If V'landys had have made good on his national reserve grade feelings this wouldn't be a big issue but it's getting too long in the tooth to organise right now.
I think you're right that the government will be lenient on those competitions but the NRL has to work with them to ensure the players do the right thing and make themselves available.
My thoughts are more in-line with a proper quarantine protocols and testing to ensure that talent can be called up as quickly as possible.
I know in the NFL they're allowing players to return after catching COVID if they return two negatives in 24 hour intervals.
I'm probably selling snow to the Eskimos here, but I get the feeling that the NRL is only concerned about meeting their TV rights obligations when they have a serious issue on their hands in regards to talent. I think they need to support the lower grades the best they can because I can see a lot of players taking a gap year if they're not being looked after.
I forgot to ask, but how many players would be in an extended squad? I believe teams already had 40+ players in their squad back in 2020 and in 2021 teams could select players outside of their Top 30 and Development squad after Round 11.
vertigo
State of Origin Rep
- Mar 2, 2010
- 6,329
- 4,450
If a player is that sick then they don't play.
If they have no symptoms, what is the point of suspending them?
Players are vaccinated. They're following protocol. Vaccines aren't stopping transmission.
007
NRL Captain
Contributor
- Sep 22, 2016
- 3,458
- 6,189
I know two current NRL level players that have basically missed two years and have gone out into the workforce. They've essentially called time and given up on NRL.
Nashy
Immortal
Senior Staff
- Mar 5, 2008
- 54,127
- 34,395
Yep. If the Government don't call for it, it's a workplace overstep. Just like companies still asking for negative PCR tests. No, that is no longer a reasonable direction, stay your fucking lane.
McHunt
International Rep
Contributor
- Aug 25, 2018
- 17,936
- 31,003
At the risk of sounding histrionic, the country is completely broken right now. Whatever "rules" we have are ephemeral, fragmented, conflicting between states, and largely unobserved. We have a situation in QLD where triple vaccinated, PCR screened foreign arrivals are directed into 14 days hotel quarantine by immigration officers who are several hundred times more likely to be infectious than them.
As for the NRL's bubble, it mostly made sense before Omicron, but now it's just a snapshot of the overall absurdity. In terms of players being subject to the laws of the land rather than the NRL, I've been banging on about that for some time. It applies equally to dishing out gratuitous fines for public offences over and above the courts.
There will be more players ruled out today. You can bank that.
McHunt
International Rep
Contributor
- Aug 25, 2018
- 17,936
- 31,003
You are most infectious before expressing symptoms. If you can catch and isolate early, you have a chance of infecting fewer people. But this one is so out of the bag, the only chance you have of avoiding it is to hide through the outbreak, or roll the dice with your vaccine immunity.
Mightybroncs2k17
NRL Player
- Jan 15, 2017
- 1,090
- 2,286
He looks like he's dropped some weight to me. Looks super trim in that interview.I have to say, Oates is one of my favourites ... i really hope he continues to build on his return to form from the back end of last season and wins a new contract.
Oates: It's All About Adapting
Corey Oates speaks to media on the first day back at training after the Christmas break.www.broncos.com.au
Scorchie
NRL Captain
Contributor
- Mar 16, 2008
- 4,183
- 5,204
Goes to show the churn we've had.
theshed
Just a Game
- Aug 28, 2010
- 15,345
- 35,645
I remember thinking that Hunt and Milford would be our halves pairing for a decade and be the first picked for origin every year.
theshed
Just a Game
- Aug 28, 2010
- 15,345
- 35,645
Until the GF
holdzy
State of Origin Captain
Contributor
- May 5, 2016
- 9,376
- 9,216
Same. Saw a nucleus of quality players that I thought would stay together 6-7 years. All came apart depressingly quickly.
1
1910
International Rep
- Apr 14, 2013
- 15,796
- 19,977
One player has set up a home driving range and his roller door/bed sheet is coping it this week on his seven days at home.
W
WASSHHH
Guest
- Aug 24, 2017
- 4,083
- 10,248
I bet they’re flogging their balls mercilessly into that bed sheet.
They might even find a bit of time to play some golf shots too.
