NRL clubs are reportedly set to seek a reduction in the length of the State of Origin camps for 2022 as they continue to grapple with COVID impacts on the season ahead.
All 16 clubs have had issues throughout the pre-season, with players forced to isolate for a week at a time after catching the virus.
Some players were then pulled out of the All Stars clash over a lack of preparation for the season proper, and reports suggest some clubs may wish they had taken more action to prevent their players playing.
Clubs had reportedly already taken exception to the seven-day camp for the All Stars, asking the NRL to shorten the length of time.
According to The Daily Telegraph up to five players caught COVID during the week-long All Stars camp, with fears an Origin camp of a similar nature could lead to a crippling mid-season outbreak.
Both states were already forced to cancel pre-season camps, while an Emerging Blues camp late last year saw an outbreak at the Homebush precinct, which, under the rules of the time, forced all of the emerging blues players, as well as a handful of senior Origin figures including Tom Trbojevic and Nathan Cleary, into isolation.
While rules defining close contacts have been altered by the federal governments, meaning the chance of players going into isolation without COVID has lessened, the virus is still spreading prevalently and clubs are reportedly not keen on players spending seven days in camp.
The week-long Origin camps, which often begin on the Monday before Origin, making them closer to nine days, see players moved out of their team environments to train with their Origin teammates.
It's understood New South Wales have already made changes, with every player to be given their own room. That follows both Sam Williams and Matt Frawley being pulled out of the Raiders trial with the Roosters on Friday evening on account of the two sharing a room after a positive COVID test.
At this stage, it's unclear if Queensland are set to follow suit, with the NRL also still reportedly weighing up whether to reintroduce charted flights and game day travel, with away clubs operating on a "fly in, fly out" basis, as has happened for the past two seasons.