https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/nrl/cowboys/cowboys-football-director-says-they-will-keep-up-the-fight-to-remain-in-townsville/news-story/162861a0b6181afa4d46e633e49394ce WHILE galvanised by the mentality of the Cowboys playing group, Peter Parr says the priority remains making a stay in Townsville a reality. As the NRL’s plans for a May 28 resumption go into overdrive, a strong possibility is the relocation of clubs outside of New South Wales to the state and the competition played there until the coronavirus pandemic eases. Much of this relies on border restrictions and the Queensland government’s willingness to allow for frequent travel either side of the Tweed. Parr, the North Queensland club’s football director, said challenges would arise regardless of which measures were taken — such is the moving nature of the health crisis. Among those included the separation of players from their families for what would, at this stage, be an undetermined length of time. But while he said the playing group were generally positive and determined to make the move if it means the game goes ahead, the core focus was to get to a point where that would not be necessary. “Number one option for us is to continue to work with the NRL in giving the Queensland government as much information as necessary to try for us to stay in Townsville and prepare for the season in Townsville,” Parr said.
“If that’s not to be the case we need to first up get the team organised and somewhere in NSW where we can prepare for the season. “Absolutely once we get to that stage we will be working with the NRL on how we could have families visit if that is indeed necessary. “That has to be considered no doubt, there are a number of players with different personal circumstances. “We’ll sort through each challenge as it arises and of course players and families will come first – those type of circumstances will be put before play.” Plenty of questions still need to be answered before the relocation becomes a guaranteed. Broadcast negotiations are still ongoing and player payments upon resumption are yet to be finalised. However such a relocation would still come at a cost during a time where the game’s financial situation has been a topic of conjecture in recent weeks. Accommodation, living essentials, sufficient training resources are just some of these factors to consider. Parr said while the club were well seasoned in managing essential travel, a given would be the NRL should “pick up the tab” within the parameters that enable the code to prosper. “Part of the competition resuming will mean they’re bringing in revenue and they should be providing what we require while we’re away within reason,” he said. “We’re happy to work with them to ensure their budgets are met, but they have to understand we’re not in a position to pay for that sort of move for any length of time. “But we’ll work with them to ensure the costs don’t blow out unreasonably.”
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AuthorThis section showcases a collection of some of the work I did covering the North Queensland Cowboys - from match reports, to player features to breaking news. Archives
June 2020
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