St George Illawarra players Zac Lomax and Daniel Alvaro are facing the likelihood of at least three games on the sidelines as the NRL vows tough penalties for anyone who breaks their Queensland bubble.
Lomax and Alvaro remain the only two players yet to sign a sworn statement to the NRL about the details of Paul Vaughan's barbeque, including that they did not come into contact with any outsiders.
The NRL are refusing to let the pair out of their COVID-hold until Saturday unless they do so, meaning they will not be able to fly north with other players on Wednesday.
Even if they were to fly out on Sunday, the pair would then have to quarantine separately to the rest of the Dragons and then be unable to train or play with them.
It means the star centre and middle forward would realistically not be able to return until round 21 at the absolute earliest.
"There will need to be a mechanism for them, like any other player that would enter that bubble to quarantine before they rejoin the bubble," NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said.
"You don't want to restart a 14-day quarantine period by putting more people into it, you have to house them in a separate facility.
"It's a matter for the club, and, and for us down the track on what if any opportunity may arise to get them and other players into the bubble at a later stage."
The remainder of the Dragons' dirty dozen have returned to training, and the club received some boost on Monday with the signing of Warriors forward Jamayne Taunoa-Brown.
The prop will then be released back to the Warriors once the Dragons' bans are complete.
It comes amid questions over player behaviour in the bubble, with 12 NSW and ACT-based teams set for Queensland.
Twenty players have breached the game's bubble since the start of the Sydney outbreak last month, including Jai Arrow just days after the Dragons incident.
Each club will have one COVID-cop to ensure there are no breaches, with Abdo warning anyone who risks the competition in Queensland will be hit hard.
"If someone steps on the line and breaches this in quarantine there'll be significant implications," Abdo said.
"Not just for them from a disciplinary perspective, but for the quarantine process, and essentially, the system, we're putting in place.
"I think everyone gets it. And it's very clear what the expectation is."
