THE "catastrophic" outcome that Peter V'Landys feared most is now a reality after the NRL agreed on Monday to suspend its season, effective immediately, because of the coronavirus crisis.
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NRL chairman V'Landys and CEO Todd Greenberg announced at a media conference that they had fallen into line with Australia's other sporting codes, having defiantly insisted for two weeks that rugby league would play on until doing so was no longer a viable option.
Once the AFL opted to shut down on Sunday, after Australia's states started to close their borders, it appeared only a matter of time before rugby league was put on hold, too.
The A-League is expected to follow suit at a media conference on Tuesday morning, which means that last night's game between Newcastle Jets and Melbourne City at McDonald Jones Stadium is likely to be Australia's last professional sporting fixture for the forseeable future.
Unlike the AFL, which says it hopes to be in a position to re-start after May 31, the NRL is in limbo indefinitely and appears intent on considering any alternative that will allow play to resume as soon as possible.
"We are going to look at every available option to us in the next week or so as to how we can recommence the season," V'landys said.
"Be it in other areas or northern Queensland, all the options are still on the table.
"We've left it open and will probably make some announcements in the future."
The news could hardly come at a worse time for the Newcastle Knights, who are unbeaten in their first two games of 2020 and sit second on the points table.
Their bright start under new coach Adam O'Brien has now been challenged on a number of fronts.
Players across the 16 clubs have been told not to attend training on Tuesday and it appears they will have to maintain fitness on an individual basis, given the guidelines around "social distancing"
