The NRL is planning to resume on May 28, the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) has announced.
The competition was suspended after just two rounds on March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic, with earlier games having taken place behind closed doors.
ARLC chairman Peter V'landys said this week he was confident of the season restarting on June 1 but after a call including representatives of all 16 clubs on Thursday it was decided to resume even sooner.
ARL Commissioner Wayne Pearce, who is heading up the innovations committee, said: "I'm pleased to announce we're planning a competition start on May 28.
"The details on the competition structure we haven't got yet because the landscape is changing around government boundaries. That will feed into the complexity structure.
"Today what we landed on was a starting date.
"We haven't finalised what that [competition] looks like yet. Why we want to firm up a date is to give certainty to players and their schedules, clubs and thousands of people who are out of work through clubs and millions of fans.
"It's a mark for everyone to work towards that's associated with the game."
