KARL Fitzpatrick believes there is currently “no appetite” among Super League clubs to play games behind closed doors.

Along with the RFL and broadcast and commercial partners, Super League is currently in discussions as to how – if not when – the season should restart after it was suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The suspension currently runs until April 3 but as the crisis worsens, the shutdown is likely to be extended.

Fitzpatrick insists all options remain on the table but thinks that resuming the competition behind closed doors when it is deemed safe is not the preferred route.

“From a fixture perspective, we are unsure how long this is going to last so we need to come up with a number of scenarios to address that,” he said.

“The feedback so far is that clubs do not want to lose games. I can understand that as games are revenue.

“Depending on how far things get pushed back, there are discussions on maybe pushing back the Grand Final and playing midweek games.

“It was brought up about playing behind closed doors and while nothing is off the table, the direction of travel is that we want to avoid that.

“It obviously means loss of revenue and we run the risk of spreading the virus among players.

“That would mean squads are depleted and with relegation at stake, it’s probably too much of a risk at this moment in time.

“That’s not to say that won’t go ahead in the future but at this juncture, there’s no appetite for that among the clubs.”

Currently, The Wire’s next game is scheduled to be a trip to Wigan Warriors in the Challenge Cup sixth round on the first weekend in April.

Fitzpatrick does not expect that game to go ahead as planned, however, as he reiterated his view that clubs and the sport in general needs to “batten down the hatches.”

“First and foremost, the welfare of players, staff and supporters is the absolute priority across all 12 clubs,” he said.

“We cannot compromise that, so the sport has to come secondary.

“Will that Wigan game go ahead? It’s unlikely, but you never know.

“We have to be prepared to play that game but I wouldn’t expect it to go ahead.

“The suspension that is in place until April 3 could get extended.

“During this interim period, it will allow us to have a look at our commercial model.

“Both from a club and central perspective, this will be a lean period and we have to batten down the hatches.”