Dragons duo set to stay outside relocated team bubble

Dragons players Zac Lomax and Daniel Alvaro may be sidelined for up to a month while the Queensland government has foreshadowed police monitoring of team quarantine facilities when 12 NRL clubs arrive in the Sunshine State.

Lomax and Alvaro remain outside St George Illawarra's COVID-19 bubble as 10 of their teammates returned to training on Monday, having signed sworn statements regarding the events of the recent illegal gathering at Paul Vaughan's house at Shellharbour.

Lomax and Alvaro have declined to sign their individual documents on legal advice, and unless they do must remain in a COVID-19 hold that will prevent them from travelling with St George Illawarra's 41-member bubble to Queensland on Wednesday.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo confirmed on Monday that any player not originally part of a team's Apollo register would have to serve a 14-day quarantine period separate to their club's set-up.

With Lomax and Alvaro under isolation until Sunday - backdated two weeks from June 27, they could then face another two weeks before being available for selection again.

Lomax's brother Hayden is also a squad member and will also be excluded from travelling as they live together in Wollongong.

The Dragons are also deciding how to spread out 12 one-game player suspensions from the breaching of NSW stay-at-home orders, with the club taking 27 players and 12 staff members north at this stage.

"Ten have completed that part of the bubble they'll travel up on Wednesday," Abdo said.

"Those that haven't won't. Once you're off the COVID hold, then they're obviously free to play, but we now have a situation where their team is located in another state, with borders closed.

"There will be have to be separate arrangements made for any players – not just them – to re-enter the bubble, [they] will have to be worked through a quarantine system which will be separate to those that have already begun that process."

Warriors prop Jamayne Taunoa-Brown joined the Dragons on Monday on a short-term, three-game deal to provide reinforcements for Anthony Griffin's side.

Veteran recruit Gerard Beale was the first current player to issue an apology for the COVID-19 breach via his Instagram page on Monday.

"To my teammates, coaching staff, St George Illawarra Dragons board, sponsors, members, fans, the NRL community, NSW government and everyone impacted by my poor decision making - I am sorry," Beale wrote.

"I am deeply disappointed in my decision making and actions that occurred last weekend on July 3. I should have respected and honoured the biosecurity rules that are in place to protect us. 

"Instead, I made a disrespectful and stupid decision. I am extremely sorry for my actions. It's important I take ownership of this mistake and learn from this experience. I hope I can rebuild the trust and your respect in the near future."

The NRL is confident Origin players – including Tariq Sims and Manly's Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic – will be able to transition between NSW and Queensland bubbles into club quarantine facilities in time for Friday's round 18 opening clashes.

As the NRL begins the mammoth logistical task of shifting almost 500 players and staff, plus immediate family members north that could swell bubble numbers to "800 people" according to Abdo, both he and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk stressed a strict enforcement of the NRL's Apollo protocols to ensure community safety.

The NRL has secured hotels in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast for exclusive use where clubs and players' families will be housed, with Ms Palaszczuk confirming police will also monitor the initial 14-day quarantine period.

"It is very hard on families with the NRL players," she said.

"They will be in their distinct hubs, so we are facilitating that the immediate family members can move with them and they will be in those tight hubs.

"It is up to the NRL to police [the Apollo rules]. But we will be monitoring that very closely as well.

"I'm quite sure the police will be having a look at it. We know where the three hotels are, we'll keep a close eye on them, as will the NRL."

Breaches of NRL COVID-19 protocols - by Dragons and Bulldogs players, as well as Sharks veteran Josh Dugan and Queensland star Jai Arrow - in recent weeks had put the NRL's travel exemptions at risk and strained government negotiations.

Each club will once again have a biosecurity liaison officer or "COVID cop" assigned by the NRL to monitor quarantine proceedings, with Abdo confident "everyone understands what's at stake now".

"If someone steps out of line and breaches this in quarantine there'll be significant implications, not just for them from a disciplinary perspective, but for the quarantine process, and essentially, the system, we're putting in place," he said.

"I think everyone gets it. We're going to be putting in extra measures in place to make it even easier for us to keep those inside these exclusive facilities safe and secure."