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eports have emerged the NRL’s move to Queensland hubs for NSW and ACT-based clubs could cost the league as much as $15 million per week.
With eight rounds remaining of the 2021 NRL season, not including the finals series, the NRL could be facing over $120 million in costs for hosting the season primarily in Queensland.
Speaking on Nine’s 100% Footy, NRL expert, Phil Gould, said the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in NSW, which saw 112 new confirmed cases overnight, could see the NRL finish out its season in Queensland.
“I think we will be up there for the rest of the season, and I think we will have our grand final and finals series up there,” Gould said.
“I can’t see it changing.
“I know the Warriors will stay there… they’ve made the move permanently until the end of the season, until such times when they can get home to New Zealand.
“This is a huge, huge operation, massive.
“If they can pull it off it will be a credit to them.
“They’re ballparking at around $12-$15 million dollars a week.
“It’s going to tap them out financially.
“It’s a big expense, but they’re determined to keep the competition going,” he said.
Speaking about recent COVID-19 protocol breaches by NRL players, NRL CEO, Andrew Abdo, said any player who breaks the protocols will be sent home from Queensland and not be permitted to compete.
“We’ve seen some disappointing decision making by different groups of players… those players have been sanctioned and we’ve made it clear they aren’t the standards we will accept,” Abdo said.
“The Queensland Government has been pretty clear in their guidance to us, if someone breaches the rules, or we see a breakdown in those protocols, they will be asked to leave the state.
“You can’t get much clearer than that.
“I hope we don’t see any breaches from here on in,” he said.
The NRL clubs relocating to Queensland are all expected to arrive in the state today and will then undergo 14 days of isolation, before it is expected clubs will return to the NRL’s ‘level one restrictions’ which will align closely to current Queensland COVID-19 protocols.
