Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart says NRL could return with skeleton football staff

Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is waiting for the NRL to decide if he will be able to utilise his entire coaching staff or operate with a smaller group when training resumes on May 4.

Players will have less than four weeks to prepare for the resumption of the competition with the NRL targeting May 28 for a return to play.

The potential absence of key members of the football department could complicate matters as head coaches look to ensure their squads are fit for the rigours of the NRL.

But Stuart says it is vital football clubs take the advice provided by the NRL and government authorities in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

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"That is going to be a directive from the NRL from a biosecurity point of view on what is going to be the safest option, and whether it's going to be a skeleton staff," Stuart said.

"That's going to be really important too, once we get a read on it from the NRL's guidelines. Everyone will have their own idea on how they can best get prepared and ready to play.

"Every coach and high performance manager will have their own philosophy on how they can best handle the next three weeks.

"It'll be good to get the structure of the competition so you know when and where you're playing. That will be really positive.

"We're allowed to train as a team, there will be some guidelines and protocols sent out over the next couple of days as to how we handle the situation."

Among the next major tasks for NRL officials is settling on a competition structure with talks underway about the merit of a 15-round season or as many as 20 games.

Stuart says clarity regarding the immediate future of the league will be a huge boost to players across the competition as they count down the days until they return to training.

Players have been training in isolation since the season came to a grinding halt after two rounds with the Raiders remaining unbeaten.

"They're all very eager to get back to training. I've been really happy with how professional and committed they have been during this disruption because it's all very new to everybody," Stuart said.

"They are young blokes, but I must say, I have been really impressed with how they have cooperated with everything they needed to do from a communication and participation point of view. They have also been really disciplined with staying healthy.

"I'm really happy with how the players have dealt with this disruption, they've been very professional in understanding how they needed to respond to something that was very much an unknown."