We need to talk about the NRL. The comp is not coming back on May 28th. I hate to say it, and I applaud the ambitious attitude of all concerned, but the NRL is not re-starting on Friday May 28th. I remain a total misery guts as far as this is concerned  and make no apology for being so simply because the reality of  getting this thing fully up and running in the next six weeks just doesn't seem viable.

To properly prepare the players requires, so we're told, at  least 2 full weeks of contact training. Which would imply that they probably need a good week before that all together doing fitness tests, gym, cardio and whatever else is deemed necessary before the full contact starts.

If this is true then we'd be looking at a three week window from this Friday to co-ordinate the full logistical exercise of assembling all the teams, officials, peripheral stuff, broadcasters etc in quarantine for the mandatory two week period of isolation before anything else is even allowed to happen. Following that period every single person involved would have to be tested and cleared with no  positive results, then and only then could or would the next phase begin.

And remember, one single case sets the whole programme back another fortnight until everyone within that person's cluster is again retested, cleared and the whole thing starts over again. And this is just me simplifying everything down to fit inside the 6 week window the NRL are currently insisting upon.

And again if anyone is tested positive or shows symptoms or signs in that first actual week of supposed competition, the whole shebang comes to a shuddering halt with the comp being suspended for a second time - something that, for the game as a whole, would be truly catastrophic. Now before you start sneering about my obvious lack of medicinal knowledge on these matters,

I urge you to refer to an article on the NZ Herald website today which quotes the Italian President of the Federation of Sports Medicine defining the range and scope of testing he believes all athletes playing professional contact sport NEED before any resumption of play is even considered. His detailed analysis is something the NRL might be wise to read themselves. In short, there just isn't enough time between now and Friday May 28th to get everything necessary done and done properly.

Remembering that all these precautions and all this testing is ONLY being suggested to keep the athletes safe. It's not a bunch of fuddyduddy Doctors wanting to kill professional sport, it's medical professionals outlining what they believe is the bare minimum needed to keep the players safe.

Given all this, in order to fit within the NRL's proposed start date, the Warriors and full staff complement would have to leave NZ as soon as our 4-week lockdown period ends next Thursday. As I said right at the beginning I admire league's  optimism and ambition but, I will repeat, there is more chance of Gold Coast winning this year's premiership than the comp kicking off on Friday May 28th.

Sorry folks but it just isn't happening.