WE have probably just had one of the strangest weeks in sport and are promised stranger ones to follow.

The coronavirus is now dominating everyone’s thoughts and discussions, and we are being presented with a very serious risk to our club and game.

There have been many self-professed experts who have sprung up and I’m not entirely sure how these people have combined the analysis of leaving the European Union with coming up with a strategy to deal with a world health pandemic but I think the Rugby Football League has been wise in following the government guidelines.

Whether it’s through hysteria or well thought out strategy, we are now facing disruption to our season. It is no exaggeration that this could be catastrophic for a number of clubs, including ourselves.

We may have been professing to have got ourselves in to a semblance of financial order but it is the nature of running a rugby league club that you are always balancing on a tripwire.

The Rugby Football League has probably got bigger issues than the clubs. They themselves are not awash with deep financial reserves and they have some key dates they need to meet such as the Challenge Cup final, the Grand Final and the Ashes Tour. I don’t expect any financial help from the governing body.

If the season was suspended beyond April 3 for a couple of months, we could just about live with the impact of not playing.

Players’ contracts run from December to November so the option of extending the season would perhaps only mean that the dry months are March and April instead of October and November. Perhaps then a short time off for the players in December, back in for January and a later start for 2021, say March.

This option would mean we could still generate income through all our home games and we would meet our obligations for things like season tickets. The League One season has a few gaps anyway so we could fill games at August Bank Holiday and the blank Challenge Cup dates.

The secondary impact to the club would be through sponsorship, lack of events and bar use and our community programme.

If companies manage to get through this period, then they may well have a mountain of debts to service and sponsoring Barrow Raiders inevitably comes well down the queue.

We are probably lucky that our major employer of BAE Systems will probably be able to pay wages whatever the scenario but our crowds are bound to be affected if people employed in the service sector suddenly find they are without a wage.

There may be some government help in terms of interest-free loans but this could leave us in debt for years. Inevitably, players and staff become affected as our disposable income reduces.

We are heading for a global recession and I’m afraid to say we will be victims.