NSWRL Covid-19 Update for Clubs: Major and Pathways Competitions

NSWRL Covid-19 Weekly Update For Clubs: Major And Pathways Competitions

COVID-19 Club Response Plan

Click here for a checklist and advice to prepare and assist your club in financially making it through this difficult time for all sports.

Training in Isolation

Rationale - like any skill, time not doing that movement or coordinated activity will result in a decline in your ability to perform that activity autonomously. In this time of isolation it’s important to focus on maintenance of your current abilities and fitness, while being inventive to replicate the movement and coordinated activities. One of the best kickers in Rugby League, who had amazing control over the footy at training and in the game, suffered a grade 2 injury preventing him from kicking for three weeks. His first few kick practice sessions back were awful, in timing and effectiveness - he used the example of golf and tennis saying the difference between elite sport people and others is that last ½ % in timing and execution. He got back to his usual in a week.

Things to do:

1. Ball in hand (Shape, size, weight doesn’t matter) when doing your running.

• When doing your cardio or running drills- carry a footy, keep changing hands with it (practice grip and Bump) NOTE- You don’t look strange
• You need to work on your lateral movement too- during warm-ups DON’T jog straight but every 3rd step slightly change your direction and at the same time transfer the ball to the arm in the new direction, a little fend would be good.
• Picking the ball up and putting it down, every touch turn run place ball down or pick it up.
• Small soccer balls are Great (round balls come back to you against the wall) we all need to practice our D1/2 passing - place a piece of tape against the wall or tie a piece of cloth to the fence and have a focus point for the pass- do lots when you are recovering between cardio.
• Remember those individuals carry ball drills you did as a kid at training in warm ups
• Rotating the ball around your body as you run.
• Passing it through your legs with each step while running.
• One hand tap in the air control as you jog.

2. Challenging your Hand/Eye Coordination - (one tennis ball and a Flat Wall)

One hand Ball Catch/throw with alternate hands (throw left catch right- throw right catch left etc) against a wall from 2m away for 30secs. Set your phone to 30secs and do as many as you can.
The ability to soft catch and throw to vital to our game. The movement of eyes and watching the ball into hands will improve your error percentage.

This skill can be improved with REGULAR practice 2-3 times a week along with other catch pass drills at training using two footballs. Standards to measure yourself by:

3. Kickers - time to perfect the kick process and timing of the kick - Process NOT result of where ball goes.

• Most local parks have a high fence to kick against (little brothers or partners are good too)
• Constant drop - Hold ball down over kick foot and you need to do 10 good drops and kick back to hands. If you get to 8 and do a bad one start again, sorry.
• Entry to Kick - walking into kick with body weight over ball kick lots against fence. Good drop again.
• Exit the Kick- after you kick the footy you need to continue moving forward towards target area.
• Don't worry about kicking it hard - Focus - Consistent Drop, Body over ball, Move through kick.

4. Visualisation and Simulating parts of your game - Playing on your own with purpose, again you don't look silly.

• Tackle Tech - MOST of our good and consistent tacklers tackle with great small feet movement to get body to almost in-front of runner. Between your running drill do 5-10 bounce 3 steps off the line and a little two step lateral with hip drop to set for a tackle – Visualise.
• Running Lines - Look in then look up before you start your little sprint work- take 2 steps ‘Off Ball’ and run your little sprints with hands up to receive and run a little curve like you would in a game.
• Think about your type of passing for your position in a game and do plenty against a wall or fence.

Contract, Terminations and Player Movements
With regards contracts and portability see below:

• New Contracts 
  At this point any new contracts will not be accepted or processed by NSWRL until further notice. We need to develop a plan and determine if and when competitions will restart.
• Current Contracts 
  Any current contracted player wishing to transfer to another club can only do so by signing and submitting a termination, players will not be permitted to move clubs unless a valid termination is received and accepted by NSWRL.  Any player or club wishing to terminate a contract must do so by using the following “Deed of Termination Release” document. Click Here to access the NSWRL Contract Termination Document. This must be filled in, signed and submitted accordingly for NSWRL to process the termination. This can be submitted by:

1. Uploading the form to the player's already submitted contract section on smartabase. There is a section asking if you would like to terminate the player's contract or not. This is where you upload the Deed of Termination Release. 
2. Submit via email to Liz Callaghan or Melanie Riccio to process and upload into smartabase on behalf of your club

• Contract Variations
  Where a club wishes to vary a multiyear deal, a contract variation needs to be completed, and submitted via the same process as the termination – Click Here to access the NSWRL Contract Variation Document. Where a player is under a current contract, even though this may be under variation, if the competitions they were signed to play in are cancelled and there is no affiliation with another club (i.e. Ron Massey Cup or Sydney Shield) that player will not be able to play for another club in Major and Pathway Competitions unless a termination is received. Click Here to access the NSWRL Contract Termination Document.

Major and Pathway Competitions:

There has been no update to the below information regarding the status of NSWRL Competitions since last week’s media release. The NSWRL Board, in conjunction with the NRL, continue to meet on a regular basis and will make more announcements when possible. Please note, the decisions being made by the NSWRL Board are done with player and staff safety as the number one consideration.

• Canterbury Cup, Jersey Flegg Cup, Women’s Country Championships and Men’s Under 23s Country Championships
  These are CANCELLED for the 2020 season.
• Junior Reps - SG Ball Cup, Tarsha Gale Cup, Harold Matthews Cup, Andrwe Johns Cup and Laurie Daley Cup.
  These are CANCELLED for the 2020 season.
• Ron Massey Cup, Sydney Shield and Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership
  These are suspended until at least 31 May.

Rugby League activity that is suspended includes all training and playing.
 

Community Rugby League:

All community competitions are suspended until at least 1 May.
Rugby League activity that is suspended includes training, carnivals and matches.