The biosecurity and pandemic expert hired by the NRL to assess the risk coronavirus posed to it has suggested the competition will not return in 2020.
The NRL was indefinitely suspended after two rounds earlier this week at the expert's recommendation despite putting several measures in place to keep the competition running.
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, the expert gave a chilling warning as to why she recommended the competition be brought to a screeching halt.
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"It's the calm before the storm — but that storm is coming," she says of the coronavirus gripping the planet. "What if one of your players gets sick and dies? Is it worth taking the risk of losing a player in the prime of their career?