SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 03: Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman Peter V'landys speaks to the media during a NRL press conference at Rugby League Central on September 03, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
It's understood the majority of NRL players are set to receive ten weeks of leave at the end of the season.
While the minimum break for players is usually set at between six and eight weeks, the extra fortnight will be provided to players in an attempt to allow them to recover from the efforts of living in the NRL's Queensland bubble.
In normal seasons, players who have completed four pre-seasons or fewer receive six weeks away, while those who have had five pre-seasons or more have eight weeks away from training.
According to a Sydney Morning Herald report, the NRL and Rugby League Players Association are set to agree for players to receive eight or ten weeks away respectively this season.
By the time the grand final rolls around, the NRL will have spent around $40 million on the bubble, with players in the two grand final teams spending three months away from home.
While the Queensland-based teams have been living at home, they have also been subject to tight Level 4 NRL biosecurity arrangements for much of the season.
The other 13 teams were uprooted from their homes and moved to Queensland in a desperate attempt to save the competition, which, with the exception of a 24-hour period when games were postponed, has thus far worked flawlessly.
The news of an increased off-season comes after the Rugby League World Cup was officially postponed to 2022, that news following Australia and New Zealand's withdrawal from the tournament on safety and workload concerns.
While that hasn't been used in the reasoning for the extra holiday, the news, as well as the ongoing COVID outbreak in both Australia and now New Zealand, could almost certainly put paid to plans to organise any end of year Tests between Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Island nations.
RLPA Chief Executive Clint Newton told the Sydney Morning Herald that all stakeholders were working together.
“The workloads and balance committee has shown an ability to work together with all the industry stakeholders – the coaches, high-performance managers, football managers, the NRL and the RLPA – to deliver the best possible outcomes for the players, staff and families,” Newton said.
“It’s been an incredibly demanding year and it’s something we need to continually prioritise, how we are managing the players. The industry continues to demonstrate they are willing to make player wellbeing, rest and recovery a priority.”
An announcement is due to be made next week, although it's still unclear if the added leave will be a one-time deal, or if there is scope for this to become the "new normal" moving forward.