Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy says depth will play its greatest role in his 18-year career as clubs combat coronavirus fears.
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NRL players will be stood down immediately should they show any flu-like symptoms.
"Without a doubt (a team's depth has never been more important)," Bellamy said in his first group Zoom conference since arriving in the club's temporary Albury base on Tuesday evening.
"This year we're allowed to have 20 (players) and you've got to take 20 to the game because of that. If someone's got a sniffle or a high temperature, when you get tested going into the dressing room before the game, he's going to be pulled out.
"I think all clubs will use more players throughout the year than ever."
Although it naturally varies from club to club, most would use at least 25 players in a season and if one had a poor run with injury, it would balloon out beyond 30.
The Storm has 29 players on its list, plus a number of development players.
"There's a little bit of a correlation teams use that, usually, the team that wins the competition doesn't use a whole heap of players because that tells us you're not getting too many injuries and you're keeping your combinations, but I think that's one thing that's going to change this year," he said.
All teams returned to training this week after the competition was postponed following the first two rounds in late March.
Play is scheduled to re-start on Thursday, May 28, with officials yet to confirm the draw due to on-going negotiations with the game's broadcasters.
The Storm is one of six undefeated teams, but all run the risk of being underdone in the physicality stakes.
"It's (contact work) been put back another two days, we were supposed to do that tomorrow (Saturday), but now we can't do it until Monday so, again, getting pretty close to games," Bellamy said.
"Having under three weeks of actually being able to do contact, again, it's probably not ideal, but there's not a whole heap that's ideal at the moment.
"I'm not quite sure we've got enough time to have them 100 per cent ready for the contact that they're going to cop in the first game, I imagine our physios and masseurs are going to be very busy."
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The Storm will round out its first week of training on the Border on Saturday before 13 players return to Melbourne - again under strict biosecurity measures - while 19 will remain at the Lavington base.
The entire squad will reconvene for training at Albury Sportsground on Monday.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is also set to announce on Monday if he will make changes to the state of emergency edict, which has forced the Storm to relocate.