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Sports and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson has cast a dubious eye on the plan to have the Warriors in Australia for a renewed NRL season, which begins May 28, calling it “ambitious.”
The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Friday that the NRL was working with the Australian government to get the Warriors to Australia on May 3, and the other 15 clubs begin training the next day as it insists that the resumption date for the season is “quite doable”. .
In an email sent to all club heads by the chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission Peter V’landys, the NRL confirmed that the Warriors are expected to cross the Tasman in another two weeks to help the Season relaunch proposed May 28.
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The Warriors cannot depart for Australia until early May.
The Rugby League Players Association met with Warriors officials Thursday to discuss arrangements for the players to have their families travel to Australia as well, which could be home for several months.
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But at a press conference in Wellington, Robertson voiced his concerns and emphasized that any decision would have public health and safety as its guiding principle.
He said he had not been involved in any discussions with the NRL, which had been dealing with Sport New Zealand.
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Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman Peter V’landys remains focused on the restart date of May 28.
“Look, that seems like a very ambitious date to start a competition, and there is certainly a lot to be done on both sides of the Tasman on how that would work.
“Clearly, both sides of the Tasman are operating strict quarantine arrangements right now, and so that provides some real limitations on people’s ability to travel and spend time on-site.
“I heard yesterday that the other NRL clubs had said they wanted to make sure the Warriors have a chance to do preseason training once they go to Australia, if that’s where they are going, so if you think of that in terms of The timeline is quite ambitious.
Breakfast
The Kiwi NRL club hopes to depart on Sunday to establish its isolated training camp, but has not yet received permission.
“I think overall the principle we continue to apply is public health and safety, and that applies to people who are professional athletes as well as everyone else.
Robertson’s opinion is similar to that of some state and government officials in Australia who also described the May 28 date as “ambitious.”
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that V’landys in his email described the much-debated late May return from the NRL as “quite feasible” as long as the rate of Covid-19 infection in Australia continues to decline.
The Herald said the NRL would not risk placing interstate teams and the Warriors in the same quarantine center for the resumption of competition, as they searched for accommodation and training centers in hotels and resorts throughout NSW.
While players from Sydney-based teams are expected to be able to live at home for the season relaunch, all three Queensland clubs – Broncos, Cowboys and Titans – as well as Storm and Warriors are expected to be located in NSW.
The potential risk of a Covid-19 outbreak spreading across different playgroups in one compound is believed to have caused the NRL to eventually remove any coronavirus bubbles for non-NSW teams, the Herald said.
The Apollo Project’s innovations committee postponed its scheduled meeting on Friday until next week, as it gathers more information on the logistics of restarting the competition.
The head of the Apollo Project, Wayne Pearce, wants more information from the governments of Australia and New Zealand about the limitations imposed on the Warriors.
The committee is consulting with a biochemistry and weapons expert who has advised the Australian Army and police on establishing training and play environments.
Warriors owner Mark Robinson has insisted his club is committed to playing its part in this year’s competition and an additional two weeks in New Zealand before flying to satisfy the team.
All NRL coaches have agreed not to start team training until the Warriors can resume their preparations as a group.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the government here is considering reopening the borders if both countries on both sides of the Tasman continue to handle the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our figures with Australia, it is almost as if we have a trans-Tasmanian bubble between our two countries and if the numbers continue like this then it is a serious possibility,” he said.
– Things and Sydney Morning Herald
