COVID-19 absences ‘inevitable’ but NRL will be ready: Slater
New Queensland coach Billy Slater says it is inevitable COVID-19 will impact the NRL this year and he plans for the Maroons to be ready to handle it should the pandemic strike during State of Origin.
Slater said he was still in the process of planning out his camps and locking in roles for his support staff and advisors, with Maroons fans waiting to see if fellow legends Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston take on positions alongside their long-time teammate.
Maroons coach Billy Slater is ready for the challenges of a COVID-disrupted Origin series.Credit:Getty Images
But he expects COVID-19 to have some influence on the NRL season as it had on leagues around the world during the NRL off-season, where players were quarantined and missed games.
“It hasn’t been spoken about just yet, but I’m sure there will be some sort of disruption at some stage through the NRL. It’s inevitable,” Slater told The Age and Sydney Morning Herald this week as the Melbourne Storm launched the Ride With Storm supporter campaign.
“Hopefully it doesn’t get to that. But we [Queensland] may need to look at having bigger squads or contingency plans if people do go down, coaches might go down too.
“This is something the game is going to have to look at and Peter V’Landys, Andrew Abdo and the NRL have been on the front foot with all this sort of stuff.
“I’m sure those conversations [for Origin] will be had at the start of the year, they’ve probably already got plans for the NRL season if things like that happen.”
Slater is embracing his role as Queensland coach, but it hasn’t changed how he watches the game. He looks forward to bringing the best out of his players.
“I get to help the boys the best I can to be the best they can and that’s putting the right people around them and trying to help develop them and build that unity within our team,” Slater said.
“There’s certainly a different challenge for me this year but, at the same time, I don’t look at the game any different. I’ve always looked at it my way.”
When looking at the Melbourne Storm, Slater still sees promise despite the impending departures of long-time servants Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi, who have all signed with expansion club the Dolphins for 2023.
Their departures follow the losses of Josh Addo-Carr, Dale Finucane and Nicho Hynes, who are at new clubs this season.
Slater with Storm players Harry Grant, Tyran Wishart and Trent Loiero.Credit:Getty Images
Slater said anyone who doubted the club could bounce back from those lost players needed to look back at the departures of Cooper Cronk, Smith and himself in a four-year span.
Slater said he believed in the Storm’s playmakers in Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes and the young guns moving into new roles.
“The Storm are not in uncharted territory right now. They’ve been dealing with this and all other clubs have been, too,” Slater said.
“With another team coming in, it’s going to be magnified. But if you focus on who the Storm has and not who has left, you might change your view and if you don’t, you want to proceed with caution.”
The Storm play their first trial match against New Zealand Warriors at Casey Fields on Saturday at 4pm AEDT.
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