But there is now light at the end of the tunnel for rugby league's elite players, as they have returned to team training this week.

After two days of briefings on the NRL's protocols, as part of Project Apollo, Rein and his Gold Coast Titans hit the field for the first time on Wednesday.

"We had numerous meetings on Monday and Tuesday to discuss all the guidelines we must adhere to," Rein said.

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"There's now only one entry and exit to the training centre and you're only allowed into the training facility if you've completed the Coronavirus Contact app each morning.

"All of us have also had to have our temperatures checked and if there are any flags raised, you then get sent home to be tested more thoroughly.

"We have to leave our shoes at the door, outside the 'clean zone' and once you're inside, you can train.

"The field itself has been fully fenced off.

"It's very strict at the moment, so I hope they start to ease off soon.

"It'll take some adjustment time I'm sure.

"The rest of Australia's restrictions seem to be easing off but while ours are ramping up - all we can do is train before heading straight home.

"This is our life right now until we hear otherwise."

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Wednesday's session involved ball work and fitness drills in groups of less than 10 (including coaches) before contact training can begin at the weekend.

"The first couple of days will see us ease a little bit into it and sharpen our skills before we can start doing contact and wrestling drills on the weekend," he said.

"From there, the coaches have said they'll take it week by week but I imagine things will start to ramp up as we head towards that May 28 kick-off date."

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The 30-year-old hooker admits it was tough training by himself the last few weeks, but he knows it'll all pay dividends when the return to the field.

"We were lucky the club gave us any of the gym gear we wanted, to ensure we maintained our strength and did lose all the progress we had made during the pre-season," he said.

"I had a barbell, a bench and a few plates set up in my garage, which allowed me to do some Olympic lifting - we had to improvise as we didn't have any racks to put them on, which saw me stack mine on a couple of milk crates.

"The staff also gave us all four different running programs which we needed to complete each week, replicating the work we would have been doing if not for the lockdown.

"Our times and sessions were easily recorded by the club on the Strava fitness app, which allowed us to see our total distances, each other's times and push each other to improve.

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"This social interaction, along with regular Zoom sessions, watching sports documentaries (including 'Mat Fraser Fittest Man on Earth' and 'The Last Dance' and listening to certain podcasts (including A Captain's Cup featuring Richie McCaw), really helped to keep us motivated during these tough times.

"The main thing for us was trying to keep as similar a routine as we could, so we could easily transition back into club workouts - it's definitely a relief to be back with the boys.

"When you play a sport like ours, nothing quite measures up to that team environment you're in every day."

The season marks the rake's third at Cbus Super Stadium, but the first under new coach Justin Holbrook - who also has ties with Group Seven, after helping the Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs win back-to-back premierships in 2004 and 2005.

"It's been really good work with Justin - he's an awesome coach," the former NSW Country representative said.

"Unfortunately, we didn't get his first season in charge off to the start we had hoped.

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"However, with all that's happened since our first two games, this enforced break could be a blessing in disguise - it's given a lot of our guys a chance to get over niggling injuries and work on a couple of aspects that were lacking in our performances.

"Justin and his whole staff have been unreal through this difficult time, constantly checking up on all us players.

"I'm confident, with commitment across the board and a couple of small tweaks, we can tidy up our game and hit the ground running when we return to the field at the end of the month."