The NRL are set to heavily restrict unvaccinated players ahead of the 2022 season as they attempt to keep COVID out of the competition.
As New South Wales and Victoria reduce restrictions for the general vaccinated population, the NRL are set to ensure unvaccinated players are tested every 72 hours for COVID, restrict player movement, and wear masks at all times.
Some clubs, including the Canterbury Bulldogs, have reportedly mandated that all players be vaccinated, while the Melbourne Storm unver Victorian government legislation require all players and staff to be vaccinated to simply attend training.
That restriction will removed in New South Wales from December 1, with the NRL reportedly confirming to all clubs that unvaccinated players in the state won't be able to train with their clubs until that date, according to a Daily Telegraph report.
It's understood the policy moving forward was confirmed to all teams today in a 1pm phone hook up, with rapid antigen testing to become a requirement for all players regardless of vaccination status.
It comes following the competition's relocation to south east Queensland in 2021, as New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory went into various lockdowns over the COVID outbreak.
The reports suggest that while NRL players will be asked to train in groups - vaccinated and unvaccinated - the competition will stop short of stopping unvaccinated players from using the same facilities as the vaccinated players from December 1.
The NRL's blanket refusal to mandate vaccinations for players is in stark contract to the view in Victoria, where the AFL have decided all players and staff must be vaccinated in accordance with a league approved timeline to participate in the 2022 season.
