The Canberra Raiders are working with the NRL on a vaccination plan that will allow their players to get the jab in either Queensland or in the ACT once their season ends.
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Given the Raiders are currently based on the Gold Coast, and the ACT is in the midst of a three-week lockdown, not all of the squad will return home as soon as their season finishes.
Their must-win clash against the Sydney Roosters in Mackay on Thursday night will determine whether that's this weekend or after a finals charge.
A lot of the players have their families and partners in Queensland with them, meaning an extended stay at the end of their 2021 campaign could be the perfect option - especially given there's a number of Queenslanders in the squad.
Plus Canberra's coronavirus lockdown could extend beyond the current hoped-for end date of Thursday.
The Raiders and their doctor were working with the NRL to come up with a vaccination strategy given the playing group have become eligible to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.
Raiders chief executive Don Furner said the planning was ongoing.
"Obviously we'll be pushing that and complying with that, and getting it done as efficiently as possible as soon as we can - like everybody else," he told The Canberra Times.
"Some of them might stay [in Queensland].
"We're working through that with the NRL on a fast-track protocol that our doctor could oversee.
"They're just working on that at the moment at different spots.
"Not all of them will come back here - some of them might stay up there for a holiday.
"We are working through that club by club, place by place with the NRL."
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The NRL could also be confronted by various scenarios for players that don't get vaccinated.
Raiders prop Josh Papalii has already indicated he won't get vaccinated due to bad reactions to previous shots.
Fellow Raiders Joe Tapine and Sia Soliola were also given exemptions from gettind an influenza shot last year.
There's been talk unvaccinated players might be unable to travel interstate, which in turn raises questions about how that would affect their contracts - will they be paid for away games they're unable to play as a result.
Governments and venues could also impose restrictions on fans from attending games if they don't get the jab - although ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has indicated those kind of discussions were for a future date.
Furner had a similar reaction.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. It's silly to speculate," he said.
Raiders co-captain Elliott Whitehead was part of the NRL's campaign to promote vaccination.
The England international said he wanted to get vaccinated so he could visit family and friends back home - something he hasn't been able to do since the pandemic began.
AT A GLANCE
Thursday: Canberra Raiders v Sydney Roosters at Mackay, 7.50pm.
David Polkinghorne
Covering the Raiders, Cavalry, cycling and racing, plus everything else that involves sport in the ACT, for The Canberra Times. Basically I love sport and watching it is a full-time job. Email: david.polkinghorne@canberratimes.com.au
Covering the Raiders, Cavalry, cycling and racing, plus everything else that involves sport in the ACT, for The Canberra Times. Basically I love sport and watching it is a full-time job. Email: david.polkinghorne@canberratimes.com.au
