KNIGHTS coach Adam O'Brien admits some of his players are concerned about the prospect of spending a second NRL season in a biosecurity "bubble", after the re-emergence of coronavirus in Sydney.
The recent outbreak on the northern beaches poses a number of challenges for professional sporting organisations, particularly those intending to travel interstate.
Before the Knights signed off yesterday for their Christmas-New Year break, O'Brien sat down with players and staff to discuss the implications of the untimely COVID-19 spike.
Players and staff at all 16 NRL clubs spent most of 2020 abiding by unprecented protocols that restricted their access to the general public.
A number of high-profile players and veteran coach Wayne Bennett were harshly sanctioned for breaching the stringent rules.
Since the season ended, they have been allowed to resume a more normal existence, but the possibility of having to surrender their liberty for another season is not surprisingly a worry for some players.
"No doubt, there would be some apprehension," O'Brien told the Newcastle Herald.
"Given what they went through, and how they had to live - which was absolutely necessary, to get the season up and running - it would be extremely tough to have to do it again.
"I just hope that it doesn't come to that, and that they can jump on this thing [COVID-19] and stamp it out.
"We had a good talk about it today as a group. We went through what we can do and can't do and the protocols and expectations.
"We just have to adhere to our responsibilities and get through today and tomorrow.
"We'll worry about what happens down the track when the time comes."
O'Brien said he had been "really happy" with his players during their first block of training, but he was mindful of the condensed pre-season, after the 2020 NRL campaign finished more than a month later than usual.
"Normally by now, the boys would have been in training for seven weeks or so," O'Brien said.
"This time they've only been back for a couple of weeks, and they've worked really hard to get themselves in relatively good condition.
"But they'll all be given training programs for during the break and I'm expecting good compliance.
"It's about getting the balance right.
"We want them to have a good break, have a rest and spend some time with loved ones, but also be professional and do some training.
"We don't want to have to start from scratch when we get back."
Newcastle's players will resume training on January 4, and new signing Tyson Frizell will join them, having enjoyed some belated time off after the recent Origin series. The Test back-rower has already visited Newcastle to meet his new teammates and search for a house.
The Knights are hoping to lock in two pre-season trials, on February 20 and 27.
