Rival clubs want the NRL to punish Parramatta for ignoring a warning not to play fringe first-graders in NSW Cup matches at the weekend – a move that leaves the Eels facing the prospect of having just 16 eligible players for Magic Round.
The NRL has been backed into a corner by the Eels, who were the only Sydney club to keep its fringe players in reserve grade despite the governing body refusing to guarantee they would be able to return to the biosecurity bubble in time for Magic Round.
At the centre of the issue is the NRL’s bid to protect a financial windfall if Magic Round goes ahead in Brisbane this weekend, and its reluctance to take any risks with a Queensland government renowned for its strict border measures.
The Eels have lost Dylan Brown and Marata Niukore through suspension, while hooker Reed Mahoney will need to pass concussion protocols to guarantee his position in the team.
Even if Mahoney is given the all-clear, the Eels will need to find two more players if the NRL doesn’t ease restrictions. Nathan Brown and Waqa Blake are in line to return from injury and are the only other two in the squad eligible to play. If Mahoney is ruled out, the Eels may only have 16 eligible players.
Parramatta officials are in discussions with the NRL and are now scrambling to get at least four exemptions to name a 21-man squad on Tuesday ahead of Sunday’s clash with the Warriors at Suncorp.
The NRL is now caught in the difficult situation of trying to manage a duty of care to Parramatta, who may not have enough players to field a team, and the game’s biosecurity concerns. But it they let Parramatta off the hook by providing them with exemptions, they risk other clubs not taking future protocols seriously.
New Zealand Warriors chief executive Cameron George didn’t want to be drawn into it, but some of the Sydney clubs who pulled their players out of the NSWRL competitions have no sympathy for the Eels.
“We, like many other clubs have a long injury list amongst our top 30 and development squads,” Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly told the Herald.
“When the information was given to us on Thursday night that we’d move to level three protocols, we made our decision to remove the top 30 and development players from the NSWRL competitions.
“I think we all appreciated the risks if we didn’t and made decisions that ultimately challenged us over the weekend. If a club took the risk, and allowed their players to play they should have to face the consequences of taking that risk.”
The Eels also played last week’s game against the Roosters without an 18th man, withdrawing Wiremu Greig after he played in the NSW Cup game before the NRL clash.
Joey Lussick, Michael Oldfield, Jordan Rankin, Ray Stone, Will Penisini are all in the top 30 and played NSW Cup on Friday night. Jakob Arthur, Nathaniel Roache and Sea Russell are on development contracts and all played, too. David Hollis played Jersey Flegg.
Panthers boss Brian Fletcher echoed Solly’s sentiment. “I think when everyone does the right thing, it’s pretty hard to have an exception for one club,” Fletcher said.
“It doesn’t worry us whatever happens, but we all tried to do the right thing. You’d find it difficult for one club to get special treatment. I get they might have certain circumstances, but they would have been fine if they did what we all did and pulled our players out.”
The NRL sent an email out to all clubs last week advising them to remove players from the lower grades if they wanted to be guaranteed to play in Magic Round given the biosecurity concerns in NSW after two confirmed COVID-19 cases last week.
The Herald understands the NSW state government’s decision to extend its restrictions for another week will mean the NRL is unlikely to budge.
“All NRL squad players who are part of the club’s Apollo Register [i.e. bubble] and are eligible for NRL Competition, must comply with the protocol,” the email sent to all clubs last Thursday said.
“If any squad members wish to participate in second-tier competitions this weekend they must leave the bubble until further notice. This situation will be reviewed for next week.”
The reason the NRL put players back in the bubble was to ensure that Magic Round would continue. The governing body wants to be able to tell the Queensland government, in the case of borders shutting, that all players had been in a bubble and would be able to fly in and out to play.