NRL brings in brutal new rules for players

NRL players have reportedly been banned from all indoor activities, including pubs and movie theatres, ahead of the 2022 season.

First reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, the somewhat extreme measures will be put in place to try and prevent the competition being derailed by the coronavirus, which continues to spread rapidly in New South Wales.

The state has clocked a new COVID-19 daily case record, with 23,131 more infections identified overnight.

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The moves that are reportedly being put in place by the NRL would also require any visitors to players' homes to take rapid antigen tests before going inside.

Players themselves will also take RATs every day before training, with most clubs set to get their pre-seasons rolling shortly.

For the handful of unvaccinated players, restrictions are even harsher – and they will apparently be forced to train alone.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said late last year that it was an inevitability that COVID-19 would disrupt the 2022 season.

"We're going to invest heavily in rapid testing, early detection and screening, we're going to have biosecurity liaison officers at each of the clubs," he said.

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