Chris Dawkes: Hull FC's positive Covid-19 tests a bitter blow for Super League bosses
The game of rugby league is in turmoil this morning after it was revealed last night that six Hull FC players and two members of their coaching staff have tested positive for Covid-19.
As a result, training at Hull FC’s elite performance centre on County Road North was cancelled today. Salford, Hull’s opponents on Sunday, have yet to receive their test results but have also cancelled training as a precaution.
Under national guidance, the players and staff who tested positive for Covid-19 will now have to enter quarantine for 10 days.
Sunday’s match was Hull FC’s first since the competition was suspended back in March. They lost 54-18 but the result seems immaterial in the light of last night’s news with the game now being scrutinised for altogether different reasons.
Rugby league players are tested once a week but there are no restrictions on their movements away from their bio-secure training and match day environments.
At the end of last month, players and staff at all 11 Super League clubs had been tested three times. From a total of 1,462 tests, none tested positive for Covid-19.
Football’s Premier League began testing in May and after 15 rounds (totalling 22,133 tests) there were 20 positive cases. It’s believed the highest at one single club was three.
The news will come as a bitter blow for Super League bosses after it worked hard to ensure the season would be completed with the implementation of measures such as matches played without supporters at bio-secure stadia and the removal of scrums.
There are now fears the season could be suspended once again which would put clubs, already under financial pressure without any match day revenue, in serious trouble.
Back in May the government handed rugby league a £16 million loan to help see clubs through the hiatus. How much of this crisis pot remains to help them should the game be suspended again we shall see in due course.
Less than two weeks after Super League returned from a four month layoff, the game could be set for another spell on the sidelines.