400-game Dragons veteran James Graham remains hopeful the 2020 season won't draw his career to an abrupt ending amid the league being suspended due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Graham, 34, is in the final year of his contract with St George Illawarra and is likely to enter retirement at the conclusion of this season. But the NRL's decision to put the league on hold may just mean the veteran has played his final match.
NRL players have been left in limbo following the NRL's verdict on Monday, and Graham was questioned by NRL 360 on the likelihood of a potential sudden ending to his illustrious career.
“Obviously no one really knows what time frame (the NRL has shut down for) at the moment and what the future holds.
“I certainly hope that wouldn’t be the case and I guess my first instinct in answering that question I’d prefer it not to be.”
Graham further revealed that the breakout of the coronavirus pandemic has allowed him to put things into perspective his family.
“It’s only been a day (since the NRL shut down) but I’ve had plenty of time to think about this,” he said.
“I’m very empathetic towards the people around the world that are struggling at the minute and it’s put a lot of perspective on stuff.
“I was talking to my nan the other day in England to see how she was. She’s 90 now and she was quick to turn the conversation to a time where she was evacuated from Liverpool to go down to a quiet village in Wales. She was a put on a train and see ya later, without knowing what she was going to come back to.
“Being a parent myself, just thinking about what that would’ve been like and we’re fortunate enough that the likelihood of this affecting kids is pretty minimal.”