How NRL would take 1000 players and staff to north Queensland

The NRL is seriously exploring the logistics of taking up to 1000 players and staff to the tropics to keep the season alive as it prepares to charter flights for teams travelling interstate this weekend.

The ARL Commission will be briefed on Thursday by the NRL's hired biosecurity expert, who has been brought in to "explore all options", including the prospect of games being moved to north Queensland or even the Northern Territory amid the coronavirus pandemic.

More immediately the five teams travelling interstate for round two fixtures – the Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Storm, Raiders and Eels – will have private pre-game charter flights provided by the NRL, with flights also arranged for each side to return home on the same day they play.

Beyond this weekend's fixtures options include extending the season beyond its current scheduling if a stand-down period is required or shifting games to be played out of one or more neutral venues.

The prospect of shifting north was first raised publicly by Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett, who suggested locations such as Townsville or Darwin could be used to play games from and ensure the code's obligations to broadcasters are still met.

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said hosting games in a Magic Round-style format in north Queensland is "not as far-fetched as some people might think", though it would present a raft of unique logistical challenges.

"It's more than a remote possibility, it's a possibility absolutely," Greenberg said on Monday.

"It's one of the scenarios we're pressure testing at the moment.

"But again if we're dealing with the Warriors and the challenge of moving one club away from their family as a challenge, moving another 15 will be as big a challenge if not more.

"But it is an opportunity for us to consider that we isolate the players for a period of time and continue to play those games. That comes with a significant cost and complexity of logistical challenges, but it's certainly on the table."

Both Greenberg and ARL Chairman Peter V'landys have spoken of private businesses from north Queensland contacting the NRL to express interest in hosting NRL clubs if the competition is relocated.

With the new $300 million Queensland Country Bank Stadium only opened last weekend, Townsville looms as the most likely destination with mayor Jenny Hill also understood to be keen on bringing a Magic Round-style set-up to the city.

Even in simpler times co-ordinating as many as 16 clubs to play out of one venue makes for a huge challenge.

The comparatively lower infection rate of COVID-19 in the tropics is a key factor in exploring moving games north.

However, the positive test registered by Townsville-based LNP Senator Susan McDonald on Monday evening was the city's second confirmed case of the virus.

Speaking before McDonald's contraction became public, Greenberg stressed that the logistics of taking up to 1000 players, club staff and broadcasters anywhere could make any game-wide shift difficult.

"We're not short of approaches," Greenberg said.

"It's always nice to be loved. We've had a number of approaches from different operators and areas coming to us with suggestions. We'll look at it.

"I'm not going to go into them individually but the further up north you go it is the lower variety of coronavirus (that has been detected) in very small numbers up through Queensland and above.

"Clearly the warmer climate (offers) some opportunities for us to think about.

"You can imagine it's a pretty big logistical exercise. Each club would have 30 players, on top of that they would probably have 20 to 25 staff.

"Let's call that 50 per club by 16 clubs, that's a fair logistical exercise to put them all together. It's Magic Round multiplied by a number again. We're modelling it, it's not as far fetched as some people might think.

"I'm not suggesting we're doing it but it's certainly not off the table."