Important government exemptions signed off last night have opened the door for the NRL to return as early as next month, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Operation Bubble or Project Apollo, as referred to by the NRL's newly-formed innovation committee, could see the league split into two conferences across isolated areas of NSW, pending on medical and expert advice.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard made a series of public health signings, confirming that the new restrictions do not "prevent the conduct of events (such as sporting or racing events)".
Under current NSW government rules, nothing is stopping from the league restarting the competition in one state.
The innovation committee met for the first time on Wednesday morning with the government and mapped out out a plan that could see the competition resume weeks before the best-case-scenario July 1 date.
The committee, led by ARL commissioner Wayne Pearce, also includes NRL's Andrew Abdo, Graham Annesley and Liz Deegan and Roosters coach Trent Robinson, Raiders chief executive Don Furner, RLPA boss Clint Newton and former deputy premier Troy Grant.
They will meet again next Thursday, with talks surrounding restarting the season expected to ramp up over the coming weeks.
"We want the competition up and running as soon as possible," Pearce told The Sydney Morning Herald.
"That’s got to factor in player safety, community safety and a range of factors we need to consider. We are saying July 1, that is fixed in the ground and we are working towards that, but if we can make it happen sooner, we will."
The league would still need to negotiate with the New Zealand government if the Warriors would be allowed to travel back to Australia if they quarantine for 14 days.
The NRL is determined for this plan to not affect the wider community.
"We are working out ways to get a bubble over all the players," Pearce said.
"Whether that's in one position or one location versus multiple locations and a slightly different structure. The work streams we are working through cover a whole range of different scenarios. Part of the work we’re doing is around clarifying protocols we need to adhere to with government. It's challenging but we want the game to return as soon as possible."
