NRL to shift grand final to Townsville if Brisbane is locked down
The NRL grand final will shift to Townsville if the latest COVID-19 outbreak in Brisbane forces the event to be moved from Suncorp Stadium.
The South Sydney-Penrith clash will mark the first decider to be held outside of Sydney, but there are fears it could be shifted again after reports of a third positive COVID case in Brisbane.
The NRL grand final could be shifted from Suncorp Stadium.Credit:Getty
Townsville’s Queensland Country Bank Stadium has been placed on standby should the Queensland Government call a snap lockdown which denies an expected crowd of more than 50,000 fans in Brisbane from attending the event. NRL officials and the Queensland Government will remain in dialogue today to discuss next steps.
“We’re pretty calm about it at the moment, but it’s like anything else; the next 24-48 hours will tell us [where we are at],†said ARLC chairman Peter V’landys.
“At the moment, the government hasn’t indicated anything to us. I’m quietly confident we should be ok.
“[Townsville] was always the contingency, when we negotiated with the government we wanted an interchange bench and Townsville is it.
“At the moment we’re not concerned, we’re not activating anything. We’re just going to stay calm and see what happens.â€
Townsville hosted the opening match of this year’s State of Origin series when the event could not proceed at Suncorp due to a coronavirus outbreak. The venue has only half the capacity of Suncorp, which will result in fewer fans witnessing the historic event and a financial hit to the NRL.
Queensland Health is expected to provide details about the latest cases during a press conference this morning.
Meanwhile, the Sheffield Shield match between Queensland and Tasmania has been postponed.
The match was due to begin at Ian Healy Oval on Tuesday morning but was officially postponed for 24 hours shortly before the scheduled toss.
It is now due to start on Wednesday morning if the all-clear is given by Queensland Health.
Queensland Bulls captain Usman Khawaja will be looking for a strong performance to help relaunch his international career. Places are available at the top and in the middle order following Australia’s series loss to India last summer.
with Malcolm Conn
0 Response to "NRL to shift grand final to Townsville if Brisbane is locked down"
Post a Comment