'Soft' NRL? CEO hits back over vaccination

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NRL CEO Andrew Abdo says helium takes objection to an assertion that without a mandate connected COVID-19 vaccination, the league is trying to debar making pugnacious decisions.

"I don't deliberation there's thing brushed astir our policy," helium said astatine the 2022 gully motorboat connected Tuesday.

The NRL has repeatedly bristled astatine the thought of making vaccines mandatory for players, adjacent aft today's announcement from the Queensland government that anyone who isn't afloat vaccinated would beryllium barred introduction to Suncorp Stadium - including players.

"What we are doing is giving radical state of prime - nary antithetic to galore planetary sports astir the world, nary antithetic to immoderate national oregon authorities authorities successful Australia, nary antithetic to galore employers," helium said.

"We're allowing radical the state of choice, which I deliberation is important. But we're putting wellness astatine the forefront of our policy, which is; we judge successful vaccination and we privation everyone to get vaccinated."

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Last month, the AFL confirmed vaccines would beryllium mandatory for each players, portion Cricket Australia said yesterday that 100 per cent of centrally contracted players were afloat vaccinated.

Abdo said that the NRL playing radical was much than 95 per cent vaccinated heading into adjacent season.

"The clubs person done a terrific job," Abdo said.

"We're astatine good implicit 95 per cent vaccination complaint present crossed the playing group, which is terrific. Some clubs are astatine 100 per cent.

"Whilst we haven't mandated vaccinations, we person been incredibly beardown successful educating and facilitating arsenic galore players arsenic imaginable getting vaccinated, and the players and clubs person responded."

Abdo said the league would adhere to wellness orders, and that they were moving connected "pretty stringent" protocols, including accelerated testing.

"We volition enactment with the clubs and the RLPA connected what processes and what systems request to beryllium successful spot for the very, precise tiny radical of players that take not to beryllium vaccinated, and however those are dealt with," Abdo said.

When pressed connected the nonstop figures, Abdo said that crossed the 16 clubs determination were less than 25 players who were yet to beryllium vaccinated.

"We're talking astir a tiny fistful of determination betwixt 20 and 24 players, roughly."

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So acold the Newcastle Knights are the lone nine to corroborate that the playing radical is 100 per cent afloat vaccinated.

Abdo said that arsenic agelong arsenic idiosyncratic clubs were operating wrong the rules of governments and the NRL, they were each entitled to marque idiosyncratic employment decisions - but didn't yet person a program for wage headdress alleviation should a subordinate beryllium stood down owed to their stance connected vaccines.

"We're moving connected that astatine the moment, we're successful treatment with the clubs. There's been a fewer meetings with the RLPA and ultimately, the committee volition person to marque a telephone connected these things," Abdo said.

"It's complicated, and the concern is evolving."

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