The NRL has announced it will close its offices from Tuesday until at least May 1, forcing hundreds of staff across all departments to take annual leave.

In a town hall meeting on Monday, NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg told staff the game was determined to keep playing in the face of the growing coronavirus pandemic.

Closing down the NRL offices and forcing employees to take annual leave are the latest cost-cutting manoeuvres from executives, who are desperately fighting to keep the game alive under “catastrophic” financial pressure.