2020 NRL season explained

Year:	2020
Competition:	National Rugby League
Duration:	12 – 23 March 2020 (Suspended 24 March – 27 May 2020) 28 May – 25 October 2020
Teams:	16
Count:	4th
Mpcount:	3rd
Matches:	169
Points:	7,092
Attendance:	671,412
Avg Attendance:	5,245
Top Point Scorer:	Adam Reynolds (221)
Top Try Scorer:	Alex Johnston (23)
Player Of The Year:	Jack Wighton (Dally M Medal)
Nextseason Year:	2021

The 2020 NRL season was the 113th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League.

Teams

The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 14th consecutive year.

Colours	Club	Season	Home ground(s)	Head coach	Captain(s)
	Brisbane Broncos	33rd season	Suncorp Stadium	→ Peter Gentle (interim)^[1]	Alex Glenn^[2]
	Canberra Raiders	39th season	GIO Stadium Canberra, Campbelltown Stadium	Ricky Stuart	Jarrod Croker & Josh Hodgson
	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	86th season	ANZ Stadium & Bankwest Stadium^[3]	→ Steve Georgallis (interim)^[4]	Josh Jackson
	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	54th season	Netstrata Jubilee Stadium,^[5] Bankwest Stadium	John Morris	Wade Graham
	Gold Coast Titans	14th season	Cbus Super Stadium, Suncorp Stadium	Justin Holbrook^[6]	Kevin Proctor
	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	71st season	Lottoland, Central Coast Stadium	Des Hasler	Daly Cherry-Evans
	Melbourne Storm	23rd season	AAMI Park, Sunshine Coast Stadium	Craig Bellamy	Cameron Smith
	Newcastle Knights	33rd season	McDonald Jones Stadium, Central Coast Stadium	Adam O'Brien^[7]	Mitchell Pearce
	New Zealand Warriors	26th season	Central Coast Stadium	→ Todd Payten (interim)^[8]	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
	North Queensland Cowboys	26th season	Queensland Country Bank Stadium^[9]	→ Josh Hannay (interim)^[10]	Michael Morgan
	Parramatta Eels	74th season	Bankwest Stadium	Brad Arthur	Clint Gutherson
	Penrith Panthers	54th season	Panthers Stadium, Campbelltown Stadium	Ivan Cleary	James Tamou
	South Sydney Rabbitohs	111th season	ANZ Stadium & Bankwest Stadium^[11]	Wayne Bennett	Adam Reynolds^[12]
	St. George Illawarra Dragons	22nd season	Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, WIN Stadium, Campbelltown Stadium	→ Dean Young (interim)^[13]	Cameron McInnes^[14]
	Sydney Roosters	113th season	Sydney Cricket Ground, Bankwest Stadium	Trent Robinson	Jake Friend & Boyd Cordner
	Wests Tigers	21st season	Leichhardt Oval, Campbelltown Stadium, Bankwest Stadium	Michael Maguire	Moses Mbye & Benji Marshall^[15]

Notes

Pre-season

The pre-season featured a returning Nines competition held at HBF Park in Perth on 14 & 15 February, replacing the competition previously held in Auckland.^[16] The All Stars match was played on 22 February at Cbus Super Stadium, returning to the contest's original venue.^[17] The 2020 World Club Challenge saw the NRL premiers Sydney Roosters defeat the Super League champions St. Helens, making them the first club to win consecutive World Club Challenges.

Regular season

The NRL had announced that the Grand Final would be hosted at the Sydney Cricket Ground while the main venue for the decider, ANZ Stadium, underwent an $810m redevelopment.^[18] This would have been the first Grand Final to be played at the SCG since 1987. The redevelopment was however scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic,^[19] meaning that the Grand Final would be again played at ANZ Stadium.^[20]

State of Origin was played in Adelaide for the first time, with Game 1 of the 2020 series played at Adelaide Oval.^[21]

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

See also: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rugby league.

The 2020 season was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was formally declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020, one day prior to the scheduled start of the premiership season. Restrictions imposed by the different state governments related to social distancing, lockdowns of non-essential services which lasted for three months across the country, and border controls for interstate and international travel, all had significant effects on the completion of the 2020 season.

Fixture

Prior to the recommencement of the season, the NRL announced the fixture would be shortened from 24 matches per team to 20 (including the two rounds already played prior to the season suspension), which each team playing each other once, and an additional five teams for a second time. The season had commenced on 12 March as originally scheduled; but as restrictions, followed for periods of formal quarantine, were introduced on interstate travel, the season was suspended after round two.

The round two match between the Sydney Roosters and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, which was originally meant to be played at Central Coast Stadium, was shifted to Leichhardt Oval.^[22]

The new draw was released on 21 May, with just six venues used between Rounds 3 to 7.^[23] The Warriors moved to Gosford to play at Central Coast Stadium, the Titans played home games at Suncorp Stadium with the Broncos, and the NSW teams and Canberra were divided between Bankwest Stadium, Campbelltown Stadium, and Central Coast Stadium in a way that no stadium hosts more than one match in a day. The Cowboys and Storm continued to host games at their normal home grounds, Queensland Country Bank Stadium and AAMI Park respectively. From round eight, all teams bar the Storm and Warriors were permitted to return to their home grounds; in the Storm's case, a second wave of COVID-19 cases in Victoria forced the team to evacuate the state and set up camp on the Sunshine Coast, the home of their netball sister side the Sunshine Coast Lightning, for an indefinite period.^[24]

Opening round

The first round of play continued almost unimpeded, although crowd numbers were impacted by fears surrounding the virus.^[25]

International restrictions on travel made in New Zealand, whereby all arrivals would be required to self-isolate for two weeks, resulted in the New Zealand Warriors temporarily setting up base in Kingscliff, New South Wales, having already come to Australia to play their Round 1 match. Their Round 2 game against Canberra was played at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast, instead of at the Warriors' home ground in Auckland.^[26]

Crowds

Government restrictions on gatherings meant that, starting in Round 2, crowds were locked out of senior NRL matches for the first time in the code's history.^[27] State governments gradually allowed crowds, often small and restricted in size, into games, starting immediately from Round 5 in New South Wales, and from Round 6 in Queensland.^{[28] [29]}

Season suspension

During Round 2, speculation that the season would be suspended, if not cancelled, grew. Circumstances surrounding the virus were evolving at a rapid rate, and the future beyond Round 2 was unknown. Many ideas to ensure the season could continue, including moving all players and matches to a single location in Central Queensland where they could continue to play in self-isolation.^[30]

On 23 March, the NRL suspended the season indefinitely for the first time in the competition's history, in response to tightening government restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19.^[31] In the following weeks, matches that were scheduled to be played at regional venues were cancelled, as was the Magic Round.^{[32] [33] [34] [35]}

Season resumption

On 9 April, the NRL announced its intentions to restart the competition on 28 May, with most details still to be determined.^[36] The decision was one of three recommendations to come out of Project Apollo, which was created by the NRL's innovations committee to analyse potential solutions to restart the season. The other recommendations included ensuring that a full State of Origin series be played, and keeping with a one-match grand final. However, the NRL required Federal and State governments, as well as broadcasters Fox and Nine, on board with the plan. The structure of the restarted season would also largely depend on what government restrictions were in place by the end of May.^[37]

By 22 April, the NRL had obtained government approval to restart the season on 28 May.^[38] On 28 April 2020, the NRL announced that the competition would be a 20-round competition, which would allow each team to play each other once with 5 extra fixtures. Points earned in the first two rounds were still counted. State of Origin was played in November after the season's conclusion, while the Grand Final was played on 25 October at ANZ Stadium.^[39]

During late April and early May, general government restrictions began to ease in Australia due to successful efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19. The Queensland State Government allowed the three Queensland-based sides to train and play at home; this meant they did not have to base themselves in New South Wales.^[40] The Melbourne Storm were forced to move to Albury in NSW to begin their training, with Victoria's government waiting longer to begin easing restrictions, but were able to return to AAMI Park the following week.^[41] On 2 May, the New Zealand Warriors were permitted by both Federal governments to enter Australia the following day. They entered two weeks of self-isolation in the regional city of Tamworth, where they were permitted to train to avoid any unfair disadvantage.^[42] International travel restrictions meant the side had to remain in Australia for an indefinite period of time, however talks of a Trans-Tasman 'bubble', in which travel between Australia and New Zealand would be exclusively permitted, left the possibility open for the Warriors to return to New Zealand and play home matches there later in the season;^[43] however, this did not eventuate.

Despite the border between New South Wales and Queensland remaining closed to the public for most of the season, all NRL teams were exempt from the travel ban for the purpose of playing matches, with the New South Wales-based teams plus the Canberra Raiders and New Zealand Warriors travelling to and from Queensland on game day instead of staying overnight, and the three Queensland-based clubs plus the Melbourne Storm making the same trip in reverse (that is, travelling to and from Sydney or Canberra on game day).^[44]

In late June, the Melbourne Storm were forced to relocate away from Victoria after a sharp increase in coronavirus cases in the state.^[45] Their round seven match against the New Zealand Warriors was played at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Sydney; the match was notable as following the game Cameron Smith, Craig Bellamy and Ryan Hoffman all went into the Warriors' rooms to thank and acknowledge the sacrifices they made by moving to Australia during the COVID pandemic.^[46] Following that, the Storm relocated to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, where they played their remaining home games out of Suncorp Stadium and Sunshine Coast Stadium, as well as finals at the former venue.^[47] By the time the Storm won the Premiership, they had been away from their home in Victoria for four months.

Club medical restrictions

During the pandemic, the NRL brought in strict new biosecurity measures to protect those in the game, including a code-wide request that players be vaccinated against the common flu, as "any player that has any respiratory illness... potentially will take the whole team out."^{[48] [49]} The NSW Government did not enforce the compulsory vaccination agreement, whereas the Queensland Government stood by the vaccination measures previously agreed to by the NRL that 100% of players would be flu-vaccinated prior to the competition restarting.^[50] Only players who had been vaccinated, or had genuine medical grounds exempting them, were permitted to play or train in Queensland.^[51]

Rule changes

It was announced that the remainder of the games would be played with just one referee.^[52] The referees threatened to strike as a result of this.^[53] However, an agreement was reached on 22 May for the one-ref system to be used.^[54]

Results

See also: 2020 NRL season results.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	F1	F2	F3	GF
Brisbane Broncos	NQL 7	SOU 4	PAR 28	SYD 59	MAN 2	NEW 21	GCT 18	NZL 10	CBY 18	WTI 48	MEL 38	CRO 10	SOU 18	CAN 28	SGI 4	SYD 46	PEN 13	GCT 12	PAR 14	NQL 16
Canberra Raiders	GCT 18	NZL 14	MEL 16	NEW 16	WTI 8	MAN 8	PAR 1*	SGI 6	MEL 6	SYD 4	SOU 6	NQL 2	PEN 16	BRI 28	GCT 20	CBY 14	SYD 12	SGI 29	NZL 12	CRO 10	CRO 12	SYD 4	MEL 20
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	PAR 6	NQL 8	MAN 26	SGI 20	SYD 36	CRO 2	WTI 28	SOU 16	BRI 18	SGI 6	NEW 6	PAR 2	MEL 31	WTI 1	NZL 6	CAN 14	GCT 4	MAN 12	SOU 10	PEN 42
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	SOU 4	MEL 2	WTI 12	NQL 10	SGI 14	CBY 2	MAN 18	GCT 30	PEN 32	NZL 36	SGI 4	BRI 10	PAR 2	GCT 12	PEN 26	NQL 16	NEW 28	NZL 8	SYD 16	CAN 10	CAN 12
Gold Coast Titans	CAN 18	PAR 40	NQL 30	WTI 5	SOU 20	SGI 12	BRI 18	CRO 30	NZL 4	MEL 36	PEN 8	SYD 6	NQL 20	CRO 12	CAN 20	SGI 4	CBY 4	BRI 12	MAN 18	NEW 30
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	MEL 14	SYD 1	CBY 26	PAR 3	BRI 2	CAN 8	CRO 18	NEW 2	SGI 30	PAR 4	NQL 12	PEN 30	NZL 4	NEW 2	SOU 40	MEL 24	WTI 2	CBY 12	GCT 18	NZL 12
Melbourne Storm	MAN 14	CRO 2	CAN 16	SOU 14	NEW 14	PEN 7	NZL 44	SYD 2*	CAN 6	GCT 36	BRI 38	NEW 10	CBY 31	SYD 18	PAR 14	MAN 24	SOU 6	NQL 16	WTI 28	SGI 8	PAR 12	X	CAN 20	PEN 6
Newcastle Knights	NZL 20	WTI 18	PEN 0*	CAN 16	MEL 14	BRI 21	NQL 12	MAN 2	PAR 6	SOU 2	CBY 6	MEL 10	WTI 40	MAN 2	NQL 12	NZL 30	CRO 28	SYD 30	SGI 24	GCT 30	SOU 26
New Zealand Warriors	NEW 20	CAN 14	SGI 18	PEN 26	NQL 11	SOU 28	MEL 44	BRI 10	GCT 4	CRO 36	SYD 8	WTI 6	MAN 4	PEN 6	CBY 6	NEW 30	PAR 6	CRO 8	CAN 12	MAN 12
North Queensland Cowboys	BRI 7	CBY 8	GCT 30	CRO 10	NZL 11	WTI 16	NEW 12	PAR 38	SYD 26	PEN 12	MAN 12	CAN 2	GCT 20	SOU 1	NEW 12	CRO 16	SGI 1*	MEL 16	PEN 20	BRI 16
Parramatta Eels	CBY 6	GCT 40	BRI 28	MAN 3	PEN 6	SYD 14	CAN 1*	NQL 38	NEW 6	MAN 4	WTI 10	CBY 2	CRO 2	SGI 2	MEL 14	SOU 38	NZL 6	PEN 18	BRI 14	WTI 4	MEL 12	SOU 14
Penrith Panthers	SYD 6	SGI 4	NEW 0*	NZL 26	PAR 6	MEL 7	SOU 8	WTI 7	CRO 32	NQL 12	GCT 8	MAN 30	CAN 16	NZL 6	CRO 26	WTI 24	BRI 13	PAR 18	NQL 20	CBY 42	SYD 1	X	SOU 4	MEL 6
South Sydney Rabbitohs	CRO 4	BRI 4	SYD 16	MEL 14	GCT 20	NZL 28	PEN 8	CBY 16	WTI 8	NEW 2	CAN 6	SGI 8	BRI 18	NQL 1	MAN 40	PAR 38	MEL 6	WTI 2	CBY 10	SYD 52	NEW 26	PAR 14	PEN 4
St. George Illawarra Dragons	WTI 10	PEN 4	NZL 18	CBY 20	CRO 14	GCT 12	SYD 14	CAN 6	MAN 30	CBY 6	CRO 4	SOU 8	SYD 8	PAR 2	BRI 4	GCT 4	NQL 1*	CAN 29	NEW 24	MEL 8
Sydney Roosters	PEN 6	MAN 1	SOU 16	BRI 59	CBY 36	PAR 14	SGI 14	MEL 2*	NQL 26	CAN 4	NZL 8	GCT 6	SGI 8	MEL 18	WTI 22	BRI 46	CAN 12	NEW 30	CRO 16	SOU 52	PEN 1	CAN 4
Wests Tigers	SGI 10	NEW 18	CRO 12	GCT 5	CAN 8	NQL 16	CBY 28	PEN 7	SOU 8	BRI 48	PAR 10	NZL 6	NEW 40	CBY 1	SYD 22	PEN 24	MAN 2	SOU 2	MEL 28	PAR 4
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	F1	F2	F3	GF

Bold – Home game
X – Bye

•  – Golden point game

Opponent for round listed above margin

Ladder

Ladder progression

• Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
• Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
• Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished last place on the ladder in that round.
• Underlined numbers indicate that the team had a bye during that round.

	width=250	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
1		2	4	5	7	7	9	11	13	15	17	19	21	23	25	27	29	31	33	35	37
2	Melbourne Storm (P)	2	4	4	6	8	8	10	12	14	16	18	20	22	24	24	26	28	30	32	32
3		2	4	6	8	10	10	12	14	16	16	18	20	22	22	24	24	26	26	28	30
4		0	0	2	4	6	8	10	10	12	12	14	16	18	18	20	22	24	26	28	28
5		2	4	6	6	8	8	8	10	10	12	14	16	16	18	20	22	22	24	26	28
6		2	2	2	2	4	6	6	8	10	10	10	12	14	16	18	20	20	22	22	24
7		2	4	5	7	7	9	9	11	11	13	13	13	15	17	19	19	21	21	23	23
8		0	0	0	2	2	4	6	8	8	10	12	14	14	16	16	18	18	20	20	20
9		0	0	0	2	2	2	4	4	6	6	6	6	8	8	8	10	12	14	16	18
10		0	0	2	2	4	4	4	6	6	6	6	8	10	10	12	14	14	14	14	16
11		2	2	4	4	4	6	8	8	8	10	10	10	10	12	12	12	14	14	14	14
12		0	0	0	0	2	4	4	4	6	8	8	8	8	10	12	12	12	12	12	14
13		0	2	4	4	6	8	8	8	8	10	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	14	14	14
14		0	2	4	4	4	4	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	8	8	8	10
15		0	0	0	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	6	6
16		2	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6

Finals series

See main article: 2020 NRL Finals Series.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			width=17%	Date and Time (Local)	width=17%	Venue	width=11%	Referees	width=7%	Crowd
QUALIFYING & ELIMINATION FINALS
align=left	Penrith Panthers	29  - 28	align=left	Sydney Roosters	2 October 2020, 7:50pm	Panthers Stadium	Gerard Sutton	7,209
align=left	Canberra Raiders	32  - 20	align=left	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	3 October 2020, 5:40pm	GIO Stadium Canberra	Grant Atkins	9,602
align=left	Melbourne Storm	36  - 24	align=left	Parramatta Eels	3 October 2020, 7:50pm	Suncorp Stadium	Ashley Klein	16,238
align=left	South Sydney Rabbitohs	46  - 20	align=left	Newcastle Knights	4 October 2020, 4:05pm	ANZ Stadium	Ben Cummins	17,212
SEMI FINALS
align=left	Sydney Roosters	18  - 22	align=left	Canberra Raiders	9 October 2020, 7:55pm	Sydney Cricket Ground	Ashley Klein	18,110
align=left	Parramatta Eels	24  - 38	align=left	South Sydney Rabbitohs	10 October 2020, 7:50pm	Bankwest Stadium	Gerard Sutton	14,510
PRELIMINARY FINALS
align=left	Melbourne Storm	30  - 10	align=left	Canberra Raiders	16 October 2020, 7:50pm	Suncorp Stadium	Ashley Klein	37,112
align=left	Penrith Panthers	20  - 16	align=left	South Sydney Rabbitohs	17 October 2020, 7:50pm	ANZ Stadium	Gerard Sutton	30,116

Chart

Grand Final

See main article: article and 2020 NRL Grand Final.

Player statistics and records

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 20.Top 5 point scorers

width=50	Points	width=200	Player	width=30	Tries	width=30	Goals	width=30	Field Goals
191	Adam Reynolds	6	83	1
184	Kyle Flanagan	4	84	0
178	Zac Lomax	13	63	0
171	Nathan Cleary	4	76	3
148	Cameron Smith	2	70	0

Top 5 try scorers

width=50	Tries	width=200	Player
20	Alex Johnston
19	Kyle Feldt
17	David Nofoaluma
15	Stephen Crichton
15	Josh Addo-Carr
15	Maika Sivo
15	Sione Katoa

Top 5 goal scorers

width=50	Goals	width=200	Player
84	Kyle Flanagan
83	Adam Reynolds
76	Nathan Cleary
70	Cameron Smith
63	Jarrod Croker
63	Zac Lomax

Top 5 tacklers

width=50	Tackles	width=200	Player
978	Cameron McInnes
955	Damien Cook
888	Reed Mahoney
876	Patrick Carrigan
852	Jake Trbojevic

2020 Transfers

Players

Source:^[55]

Player	2019 Club	2020 Club
data-sort-value="Fensom, Shaun"	Shaun Fensom	Brisbane Broncos	Retirement
data-sort-value="Gillett, Matt"	Matt Gillett	Brisbane Broncos	Retirement
data-sort-value="McCullough, Andrew"	Andrew McCullough	Brisbane Broncos	Newcastle Knights
data-sort-value="Nikorima, Kodi"	Kodi Nikorima	Brisbane Broncos	New Zealand Warriors
data-sort-value="Roberts, James"	James Roberts	Brisbane Broncos	South Sydney Rabbitohs
data-sort-value="Segeyaro, James"	James Segeyaro	Brisbane Broncos	Suspension^[56]
data-sort-value="Su'A, Jaydn"	Jaydn Su'A	Brisbane Broncos	South Sydney Rabbitohs
data-sort-value="Bateman, Luke"	Luke Bateman	Canberra Raiders	Hiatus
data-sort-value="Hingano, Ata"	Ata Hingano	Canberra Raiders	Mackay Cutters (Intrust Super Cup)
data-sort-value="Leilua, Joseph"	Joseph Leilua	Canberra Raiders	Wests Tigers
data-sort-value="Sezer, Aidan"	Aidan Sezer	Canberra Raiders	Super League: Huddersfield Giants
data-sort-value="Brown, Fa'amanu"	Fa'amanu Brown	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	N/A
data-sort-value="Fualalo, Danny"	Danny Fualalo	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	N/A
data-sort-value="Harawira-Naera, Corey"	Corey Harawira-Naera	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	Canberra Raiders
data-sort-value="Lichaa, Michael"	Michael Lichaa	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	N/A
data-sort-value="Martin, Rhyse"	Rhyse Martin	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	Super League: Leeds Rhinos
data-sort-value="Brailey, Jayden"	Jayden Brailey	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Newcastle Knights
data-sort-value="Bukuya, Jayson"	Jayson Bukuya	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Retirement
data-sort-value="Capewell, Kurt"	Kurt Capewell	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Penrith Panthers
data-sort-value="Feki, Sosaia"	Sosaia Feki	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Super League: Castleford Tigers
data-sort-value="Gallen, Paul"	Paul Gallen	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Retirement
data-sort-value="Gray, Aaron"	Aaron Gray	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	N/A
data-sort-value="Morris, Josh"	Josh Morris	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Sydney Roosters
data-sort-value="Prior, Matt"	Matt Prior	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Super League: Leeds Rhinos
data-sort-value="Gordon, Michael"	Michael Gordon	Gold Coast Titans	Retirement
data-sort-value="Jacks, Ryley"	Ryley Jacks	Gold Coast Titans	Melbourne Storm
data-sort-value="King, Max"	Max King	Gold Coast Titans	Melbourne Storm
data-sort-value="Latu, Leilani"	Leilani Latu	Gold Coast Titans	Super League: Warrington Wolves
data-sort-value="Lee, Brenko"	Brenko Lee	Gold Coast Titans	Melbourne Storm
data-sort-value="Matthews, Will"	Will Matthews	Gold Coast Titans	Retirement
data-sort-value="Stockwell, Jack"	Jack Stockwell	Gold Coast Titans	Burleigh Bears (Intrust Super Cup)
data-sort-value="Watkins, Kallum"	Kallum Watkins	Gold Coast Titans	Super League: Salford Red Devils
data-sort-value="Elgey, Kane"	Kane Elgey	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	Retirement
data-sort-value="Hodkinson, Trent"	Trent Hodkinson	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	Retirement
data-sort-value="Koroisau, Apisai"	Apisai Koroisau	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	Penrith Panthers
data-sort-value="Perrett, Lloyd"	Lloyd Perrett	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	Wynnum Manly Seagulls (Intrust Super Cup)
data-sort-value="Tanginoa, Kelepi"	Kelepi Tanginoa	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	Super League: Wakefield Trinity
data-sort-value="Chambers, Will"	Will Chambers	Melbourne Storm	Suntory Sungoliath (Japanese rugby union)
data-sort-value="Croft, Brodie"	Brodie Croft	Melbourne Storm	Brisbane Broncos
data-sort-value="Scott, Curtis"	Curtis Scott	Melbourne Storm	Canberra Raiders
data-sort-value="Stimson, Joe"	Joe Stimson	Melbourne Storm	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
data-sort-value="Buhrer, Jamie"	Jamie Buhrer	Newcastle Knights	Retirement
data-sort-value="Gavet, James"	James Gavet	Newcastle Knights	Super League: Huddersfield Giants
data-sort-value="Kenny-Dowall, Shaun"	Shaun Kenny-Dowall	Newcastle Knights	Super League: Hull Kingston Rovers
data-sort-value="Levi, Danny"	Danny Levi	Newcastle Knights	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
data-sort-value="Ramien, Jesse"	Jesse Ramien	Newcastle Knights	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
data-sort-value="Ayshford, Blake"	Blake Ayshford	New Zealand Warriors	Retirement
data-sort-value="Kata, Solomone"	Solomone Kata	New Zealand Warriors	ACT Brumbies (Super Rugby)
data-sort-value="Lisone, Sam"	Sam Lisone	New Zealand Warriors	Gold Coast Titans
data-sort-value="Luke, Issac"	Issac Luke	New Zealand Warriors	St. George Illawarra Dragons
data-sort-value="Sao, Ligi"	Ligi Sao	New Zealand Warriors	Super League: Hull F.C.
data-sort-value="Baptiste, Kurt"	Kurt Baptiste	North Queensland Cowboys	Eastern Suburbs Tigers (Intrust Super Cup)
data-sort-value="Bolton, Scott"	Scott Bolton	North Queensland Cowboys	Retirement
data-sort-value="Bowen, Javid"	Javid Bowen	North Queensland Cowboys	Northern Pride (Intrust Super Cup)
data-sort-value="Kahu, Jordan"	Jordan Kahu	North Queensland Cowboys	Brisbane Broncos
data-sort-value="Macdonald, Nene"	Nene Macdonald	North Queensland Cowboys	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
data-sort-value="Martin, Te Maire"	Te Maire Martin	North Queensland Cowboys	N/A
data-sort-value="Scott, Matt"	Matt Scott	North Queensland Cowboys	Retirement
data-sort-value="Hoffman, Josh"	Josh Hoffman	Parramatta Eels	Townsville Blackhawks (Intrust Super Cup)
data-sort-value="Mannah, Tim"	Tim Mannah	Parramatta Eels	Retirement
data-sort-value="Ma'u, Manu"	Manu Ma'u	Parramatta Eels	Super League: Hull F.C.
data-sort-value="Moeroa, Tepai"	Tepai Moeroa	Parramatta Eels	New South Wales Waratahs (Super Rugby)
data-sort-value="Blake, Waqa"	Waqa Blake	Penrith Panthers	Parramatta Eels
data-sort-value="Campbell-Gillard, Reagan"	Reagan Campbell-Gillard	Penrith Panthers	Parramatta Eels
data-sort-value="Egan, Wayde"	Wayde Egan	Penrith Panthers	New Zealand Warriors
data-sort-value="Fuimaono, Tyrell"	Tyrell Fuimaono	Penrith Panthers	St. George Illawarra Dragons
data-sort-value="Grant, Tim"	Tim Grant	Penrith Panthers	Retirement
data-sort-value="Katoa, Sione"	Sione Katoa	Penrith Panthers	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
data-sort-value="Maloney, James"	James Maloney	Penrith Panthers	Super League: Catalans Dragons
data-sort-value="Watene-Zelezniak, Dallin"	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	Penrith Panthers	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
data-sort-value="Winterstein, Frank"	Frank Winterstein	Penrith Panthers	Toulouse Olympique
data-sort-value="Burgess, George"	George Burgess	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Super League: Wigan Warriors
data-sort-value="Burgess, Sam"	Sam Burgess	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Retirement
data-sort-value="Doueihi, Adam"	Adam Doueihi	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Wests Tigers
data-sort-value="Inglis, Greg"	Greg Inglis	South Sydney Rabbitohs	N/A
data-sort-value="Sutton, John"	John Sutton	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Retirement
data-sort-value="Turner, Kyle"	Kyle Turner	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Retirement
data-sort-value="Allgood, Mitchell"	Mitchell Allgood	St. George Illawarra Dragons	London Broncos (Championship)
data-sort-value="Graham, James"	James Graham	St. George Illawarra Dragons	Super League: St. Helens
data-sort-value="Kaufusi, Patrick"	Patrick Kaufusi	St. George Illawarra Dragons	Townsville Blackhawks (Intrust Super Cup)
data-sort-value="Lafai, Tim"	Tim Lafai	St. George Illawarra Dragons	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
data-sort-value="Latimore, Jeremy"	Jeremy Latimore	St. George Illawarra Dragons	Retirement
data-sort-value="Leilua, Luciano"	Luciano Leilua	St. George Illawarra Dragons	Wests Tigers
data-sort-value="Maranta, Lachlan"	Lachlan Maranta	St. George Illawarra Dragons	Wynnum Manly Seagulls (Intrust Super Cup)
data-sort-value="Widdop, Gareth"	Gareth Widdop	St. George Illawarra Dragons	Super League: Warrington Wolves
data-sort-value="Cronk, Cooper"	Cooper Cronk	Sydney Roosters	Retirement
data-sort-value="Mitchell, Latrell"	Latrell Mitchell	Sydney Roosters	South Sydney Rabbitohs
data-sort-value="Tetevano, Zane"	Zane Tetevano	Sydney Roosters	Penrith Panthers
data-sort-value="Farah, Robbie"	Robbie Farah	Wests Tigers	Retirement
data-sort-value="Fonua, Mahe"	Mahe Fonua	Wests Tigers	Super League: Hull F.C.
data-sort-value="Marsters, Esan"	Esan Marsters	Wests Tigers	North Queensland Cowboys
data-sort-value="Matterson, Ryan"	Ryan Matterson	Wests Tigers	Parramatta Eels
data-sort-value="Matulino, Ben"	Ben Matulino	Wests Tigers	Retirement
data-sort-value="Thompson, Corey"	Corey Thompson	Wests Tigers	Gold Coast Titans
data-sort-value="Wiliame, Brayden"	Brayden Wiliame	Super League: Catalans Dragons	St. George Illawarra Dragons
data-sort-value="Frawley, Matt"	Matt Frawley	Super League: Huddersfield Giants	Canberra Raiders
data-sort-value="Merrin, Trent"	Trent Merrin	Super League: Leeds Rhinos	St. George Illawarra Dragons
data-sort-value="Goodwin, Bryson"	Bryson Goodwin	Super League: Warrington Wolves	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
data-sort-value="Williams, George"	George Williams	Super League: Wigan Warriors	Canberra Raiders
data-sort-value="Te'o, Ben"	Ben Te'o	Sunwolves (Super Rugby)	Brisbane Broncos
data-sort-value="Holmes, Valentine"	Valentine Holmes	New York Jets (NFL)	North Queensland Cowboys
data-sort-value="Tonumaipea, Young"	Young Tonumaipea	Hiatus	Gold Coast Titans
data-sort-value="Musgrove, Zane"	Zane Musgrove	N/A	Wests Tigers

Loan moves

Player	Home club	→ Loan club	Dates
			21 March – 26 October	15	^[57]
			21 March – 26 October	6
			31 May – 27 June	4	^[58]
			28 June – 7 August	6	^[59]
			24 July – 13 August	6	^[60] ^[61]
			24 July – 13 August	6
			14 August – 24 August	0	^[62] ^[63]

Coaches

Notes and References

1. News: Anthony Seibold Steps Down As Broncos Coach. Broncos.com.au. 26 August 2020.
2. News: Brisbane makes history with Glenn captaincy appointment. NRL.com. 24 January 2020.
3. News: Bulldogs to move games to Bankwest Stadium and Perth. NRL.com. 23 July 2019.
4. News: Dean Pay to step down as Bulldogs Head Coach. Bulldogs.com.au. 14 July 2020.
5. News: Sharks moving to Kogarah for 2020 home games. NRL.com. 18 September 2019.
6. News: Justin Holbrook Appointed As Gold Coast Titans Head Coach. Titans.com.au. 31 July 2019.
7. News: Adam O'Brien appointed Head Coach of Newcastle Knights. NewcastleKnights.com.au. 2 September 2019.
8. News: Warriors end Kearney's tenure after heavy defeat. NRL.com. 20 June 2020.
9. News: North Queensland Stadium Secures Naming Rights In New Six-Year Deal. MinistryOfSport.com.au. 13 December 2019.
10. News: Paul Green finishes as Cowboys head coach. Cowboys.com.au. 20 July 2020.
11. News: Blake Solly's open letter about the redevelopment of ANZ Stadium. Rabbitohs.com.au. 12 June 2019.
12. News: Rabbitohs announce Adam Reynolds as captain for Season 2020. Rabbitohs.com.au. 25 February 2020.
13. News: Paul McGregor to part ways with Dragons. Dragons.com.au. 13 August 2020.
14. News: McInnes officially named Dragons captain. Dragons.com.au. 20 January 2020.
15. News: Wests Tigers confirm captains for 2020 season. WestsTigers.com.au. 6 February 2020.
16. News: NRL Nines confirmed for 2020 return in Perth. NRL.com. 22 October 2019.
17. News: All Stars returns to where it all began on Gold Coast. NRL.com. 29 August 2019.
18. News: SCG to host NRL grand final after ANZ refurbishment. NRL.com. 12 June 2019.
19. Web site: Witoslawski. Jodie Stephens and Ashlea. 2020-05-31. NSW government scraps ANZ stadium project. 2020-09-29. The Canberra Times. en.
20. Web site: 2020-09-29. More fans can attend grand final as NRL switches to ANZ from SCG. 2020-09-29. National Rugby League. en.
21. News: Adelaide to host Holden State of Origin game in 2020. NRL.com. 19 August 2019.
22. Web site: Live updates: NRL says Round 2 still going ahead as Phil Gould puts heat on 'vulnerable' administration. Fox Sports Australia. 16 March 2020. 16 March 2020.
23. News: NRL draw for 2020: Rescheduled season full of rivalries. NRL. 21 May 2020.
24. Web site: Storm heading for Queensland. 27 June 2020. 15 July 2020.
25. Web site: Broncos upset capacity crowd in Townsville Stadium opener. League Unlimited. Josh. Robertson. 13 March 2020. 13 March 2020.
26. News: Warriors to stay in Australia after NZ announces travel restrictions. 15 March 2020. 15 March 2020. National Rugby League. NRL.com.
27. News: NRL looking at bigger picture with move to closed stadiums. 13 March 2020. 13 March 2020. National Rugby League. Brad Walter.
28. Web site: PM opens door for large crowds to return in July. NRL.com. Dan. Walsh. 12 June 2020. 15 July 2020.
29. Web site: Clubs to return to home grounds as restrictions eased. NRL.com. Dan. Walsh. 20 June 2020. 15 July 2020.
30. News: Inside the 1392-room rural QLD village which could host ALL 16 NRL clubs – and save the season. Fox Sports Australia. 18 March 2020.
31. News: NRL suspends season. National Rugby League. 23 March 2020.
32. News: Wagga Wagga match to be moved back to Canberra. Raiders.com.au. 17 March 2020.
33. News: Wests Tigers confirm cancellation of Tamworth fixture. WestsTigers.com.au. 15 April 2020.
34. News: Panthers game in Bathurst cancelled. PenrithPanthers.com.au. 17 April 2020.
35. Web site: NRL cancels Magic Round Brisbane 2020. NRL.com. 27 March 2020. 27 March 2020.
36. Web site: May 28: ARL Commission announces date for NRL to restart. National Rugby League. Alicia. Newton. Paul. Suttor. 9 April 2020. 9 April 2020.
37. News: Telstra Premiership to resume. National Rugby League. 9 April 2020.
38. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-22/nrl-resuming-training-may-4-after-coronavirus-shutdown/12174180 NRL says it has government approval for 28 May restart of coronavirus-hit competition
39. Web site: NRL announces 20 round competition for 2020. NRL.com. Alicia. Newton. 28 April 2020. 28 April 2020.
40. News: Queensland approves NRL return. National Rugby League. 1 May 2020.
41. Web site: Melbourne Storm allowed to train at AAMI Park. Zero Tackle. Ben. Cotton. 11 May 2020.
42. News: Warriors granted permission for Australian arrival. National Rugby League. 2 May 2020.
43. News: Warriors could play NRL games in New Zealand inside trans-Tasman bubble. Stuff.co.nz. David. Long. 29 April 2020.
44. Web site: NRL's travel exemptions to remain despite Queensland declaring Sydney a coronavirus hotspot. ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 29 July 2020. 2 November 2020.
45. Web site: Melbourne Storm forced to relocate for indefinite period following Victoria's COVID-19 spike. 23 June 2020.
46. Web site: Emotional scenes as Storm captain, coach address Warriors post match. 26 June 2020 . 27 June 2020.
47. Web site: Storm heading for Queensland. 27 June 2020 . 27 June 2020.
48. News: Walshaw. Nick. 2020-05-05. Titans star Bryce Cartwright opposes NRL flu shot policy. The Australian. News Corp Australia. dead. subscription. https://archive.today/20200715055956/https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/nrl/teams/titans/titans-star-bryce-cartwright-opposes-nrl-flu-shot-policy/news-story/70b0a1bc5210444a2b662a0d7f1043e8. 2020-07-15.
49. News: Omnisport. 2020-05-11. Coronavirus: Flu vaccine NRL's decision in New South Wales. Yahoo Sports. Yahoo News Network. live. https://archive.today/20200515230019/https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-flu-vaccine-nrls-decision-005418174.html?guccounter=1. 2020-05-15. 2020-05-16.
50. News: Craddock. Robert. 2020-05-12. The government, not the NRL merchants who make rules on the run, is in charge of Queensland. The Courier Mail. News Corp Australia. dead. subscription. https://archive.today/20200512072148/https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/the-government-not-the-nrl-merchants-who-make-rules-on-the-run-is-in-charge-of-queensland/news-story/3563f7813ed67cd7e662a3f5cac331b7. 2020-05-12. 2020-05-14.
51. News: Walsh. Matt. 2020-05-11. No anti-vax exemption for Qld NRL players. en. ESPN. live. https://archive.today/20200516001033/https://www.espn.com.au/afl/story/_/id/29163940/faq-where-australia-football-codes-stands-flu-vaccination. 2020-05-16. 2020-05-14.
52. News: NRL to revert to one referee, agrees to rule changes for the rest of the 2020 season. ABC. 13 May 2020.
53. News: 'Outrageous': One-referee plan for NRL sparks strike threat. SMH. 13 May 2020.
54. Web site: Single referee system to proceed. National Rugby League. 22 May 2020.
55. News: 2020 Signings Tracker. NRL.com.
56. News: Segeyaro drugs ban reduced by NRL Anti-Doping Tribunal. NRL.com. 18 February 2021.
57. Web site: Talintyre . Dan . Wests Tigers sign Harry Grant in loan deal from Storm . . 29 September 2021 . 23 March 2020.
58. Web site: Becht . Richard . Terms agreed for Faamausili loan deal . . 29 September 2021 . 28 May 2020.
59. Web site: Becht . Richard . Panther secured on loan . . 29 September 2021 . 28 June 2020.
60. Web site: Williamson . Nathan . NRL 2020: Parramatta Eels duo George Jennings and Daniel Alvaro join New Zealand Warriors on short-term loan deal . Sporting News . 29 September 2021 . 25 July 2020.
61. Web site: Becht . Richard . Loan stay extended for Alvaro and Jennings . . 29 September 2021 . 24 August 2020.
62. Web site: Becht . Richard . Hopoate secured on loan from Sea Eagles . . 29 September 2021 . 15 August 2020.
63. Web site: Keating . Mitch . Warriors loan deal backflips as Manly recall youngster . Zero Tackle . 29 September 2021 . 24 August 2020.