Over 70 NRL employees, including star players Nathan Cleary and Tom Trbojevic, have been forced into self-isolation after the NSW Blues camp was exposed to COVID-19.

The incident has prompted questions over the appropriateness of the NRL’s biosecurity rules as Australians look to live with COVID ahead of the 2022 footy season.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo told Chris O’Keefe biosecurity restrictions on players and staff will come back into force at the end of the off-season.

“We’ll be using rapid antigen testing as an early detection method.

“We’ll also hopefully have worked with each of the relevant state governments on processes that allow us to navigate and manage this internally.

Chris O’Keefe: “Here’s a hypothetical … if a superstar first-grader tests positive, is asymptomatic [and] double-vaccinated on the eve of a really big match … will they be allowed to play?”

Andrew Abdo: “No … and that’s not going to change in the short term or for the foreseeable future.”

Chris O’Keefe: “Are we going to see forfeits?”

Andrew Abdo: “We’re not entertaining that at all.”

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