NRL: Sunshine Coast to host four clubs including Manly and Penrith during two week quarantine
The Sunshine Coast will provide safe haven for four NRL teams fleeing New South Wales and its Covid-19 restrictions. FIND OUT WHICH TEAMS HERE
Sunshine Coast
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The Sunshine Coast will host four National Rugby League teams as the code flees Covid-plagued New South Wales in a bid to keep the competition alive.
Nine Sydney teams as well as the New Zealand Warriors, Newcastle Knights and Canberra Raiders will fly into Queensland on Wednesday on private charter flights.
The 12 clubs to be spread across three hubs set up in Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast.
The Sydney Roosters, Penrith Panthers, Newcastle Knights, and the Manly Sea Eagles will set up camp on the Sunshine Coast.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said the Sunshine Coast-based teams would stay at the Novotel Twin Waters.
“That’s a large facility and it will be hosting a number of teams,” he said.
“(It) will become effectively like a quarantine facility for two weeks, managed quarantine that we’re applying for which means they’ll be able to move and travel around.
“But they’ll effectively be locked out from the public.”
The Sunshine Coast has most recently hosted the Melbourne Storm after they were forced to leave Victoria earlier this year due to the pandemic.
Last year, the region also provided a base for up-ended AFL teams including Melbourne Demons, Collingwood, North Melbourne and Essendon.
Mr Abdo said the move was the biggest logistic operation and challenge the game had faced.
“41 people per club will be relocated … an invitation has also been extended to direct families as well,” he said.
“I want to acknowledge and thank the clubs they’ve been terrific … I think everyone is 100 per cent committed to making this work.”
Mr Abdo said the NRL’s top priority was working with the Queensland Government to make the bubble happen.
“There’s a lot of work to do but we have a plan and we were prepared for this,” he said.
“We will start looking at opportunities to play double headers and triple headers (after two weeks).”
Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, Gold Coast’s Cbus Super Stadium and Sunshine Coast Stadium will host all the matches for the 12 teams.
The updated draw is yet to be released.