It's sixty-seven days since rugby league disappeared from our lives, and from our screens, but as the Brisbane Broncos and Paramatta Eels took to the field at a shade before eleven o'clock this morning it signalled a return to some semblance of normality after the horrendous coronavirus pandemic. Project Apollo had landed.

The game was played behind closed doors, and after much gnashing of teeth, detailed preparation, tests and vaccinations, and a fair bit of bad press and controversy. There was a reversion to a single referee, no ball boys, and a new ‘six-again' rule when a defensive side have committed some offenses which would previously have seen a penalty awarded.

But the rugby starved public were, on the whole, delighted about the return and settled down in their armchairs to watch events unfold in the truncated NRL season.

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It's sixty-seven days since rugby league disappeared from our lives, and from our screens, but as the Brisbane Broncos and Paramatta Eels took to the field at a shade before eleven o'clock this morning it signalled a return to some semblance of normality after the horrendous coronavirus pandemic. Project Apollo had landed.

The game was played behind closed doors, and after much gnashing of teeth, detailed preparation, tests and vaccinations, and a fair bit of bad press and controversy. There was a reversion to a single referee, no ball boys, and a new ‘six-again' rule when a defensive side have committed some offenses which would previously have seen a penalty awarded.

But the rugby starved public were, on the whole, delighted about the return and settled down in their armchairs to watch events unfold in the truncated NRL season.

READ MORE ON THIS STORY...