Even then it's quite different.

In the case of the coronavirus, despite the efforts of one or two codes, the stoppage was virtually instantaneous.

Association boards and club committees nationwide have a unique opportunity to manage the enforced hiatus.

And for the larger percentage the reality is that the break is more emotional than a financial disaster.

For bodies which have for decades only spent within their means, the books will mostly show zero in and zero out for the next six months.

No member fees coming in is not so much of a problem if nothing is being spent on providing services to them, and for those with rental or lease commitments to local government it's reasonable to assume they will be deferred.

It's therefore an opportunity for strategic planning around the board table or maintenance on facilities and equipment.

Then there's the next level up - those state and national sporting organisations that depend largely on government funding.

Given the government's huge commitment to stimulus funding elsewhere that's unlikely to dry up.

Again for these entities there is a massive opportunity to plan and re-set - much of which can still be done without certainty of timelines.

That leaves the professional codes where there seems to have been significant hysteria both from within and those looking there.

A couple at least may be managing okay.

We've heard little from or about netball. It's reasonable to assume that from its huge pyramidal structure and the dominance of wily women in managing its finances for generations that it will manage well.

Cricket is lucky right now because firstly nine-tenths of the international program in Australia had been completed before the upheaval in sport.

Secondly because the IPL is such a huge player in world cricket that just about everything else around the globe has gotten used to shutting down in any case to allow the Indian juggernaut to reign supreme.

But importantly also because Cricket Australia behaves likes a national governing body all the time and not primarily an organiser of major competitions.

Although its governing structure has changed in recent times, it remains at least spiritually accountable to its constituent state bodies - if not even more so through board nominations. And there's nothing quite like a federated governance model to ensure that something is provided for a rainy day.

Which brings us to the remainder - in this case not an insignificant one in terms of the impact on a nation.

Both rugby codes look as though they are teetering at the top levels.

Union never seized the moment when it professionalised.

League was then in trouble and the rah-rahs could have finished their working class cousins off at the time - reuniting the game after 100 years.

But it didn't. It was very happy to retain genteel traditions whilst dipping its toes into commercialism and as a result, there's no buffer to manage the current situation.

Rugby Union might be back to being an amateur code from top down once again in order to survive.

Or perhaps exclusively for seven players only instead of the current alternate offerings.

Rugby League has had to re-invent itself once already, after each spending a fortune to secure television rights it took a ceasefire between Rupert Murdoch and Kerry Packer to return to normality.

Since then the NRL has, it seems, lived from hand to mouth, spending every dollar it appears to have earned on the game to keep up with the other codes.

Without another knight in shining armour it may struggle to survive as we know it.

Its major sparring partner the AFL is better off. It has reserves, most notably through its ownership of Marvel Stadium.

But in keeping up appearances it and its 18 senior clubs have undoubtedly over-invested. With this philosophy cash is king and right now there is none.