NRL: Wagga City Council offers to be Melbourne Storm’s training base after Albury rejection
Wagga has offered to be the three-time premiers’ longer-term training base leading up to the NRL season restart after Albury decided to bar them from using any council-run facilities.
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Wagga council has made a bid to host the Melbourne Storm’s longer-term training base leading up to the season’s resumption after Albury council rejected the team due to coronavirus concerns.
The three-time premiers had the green light to use the council’s Greenfield Park, home of the Albury Thunder, after an agreement between the State Government, the NRL and Albury City Council management was reached.
However, councillors held an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday and voted five to four against the team using any of its facilities.
For now the Storm’s 32 players and 18 staff members, who arrived in Albury on Tuesday, will continue to be based there and train at the non-council run Albury Sports Ground until at least Saturday before the Victorian Government is expected to ease restrictions.
The extraordinary vote went against a council staff report recommending approval for the Storm’s use based on strict health and biosecurity measures, including the public having no access to the team.
‘Ball’s in their court’
With the border city rejecting the Storm, Wagga Mayor Greg Conkey jumped at the opportunity and said he contacted fellow councillors on Tuesday night about reaching out to the Storm should the team extend their training base in NSW.
“We’ve reached out to the Storm and when we found out (Albury council’s decision), I texted all councillors and I got favourable replies from all those who responded (five of eight).”
“The club’s been made aware Wagga’s receptive to discussions. The ball’s now in their court.”
Cr Conkey said it also depended on the Storm’s agreement with the private facilities in Albury, but he said councillors were happy to accommodate the team at McDonalds Park, the city’s various hotels and its Oasis Aquatic Centre.
“We have excellent training facilities here with McDonalds Park being the premier training ground in south west NSW for rugby league,” he said.
“I also got in touch with the deputy premier last night and he was pleased to hear that Wagga was willing to help.”
Low concern about coronavirus
Asked if he had concerns about the coronavirus, Cr Conkey said he was confident the team would not represent a high risk because they would “be a bubble”.
“They’d come here and not associate with any Wagga residents. The last thing they want is to have players and members of staff come down with COVID-19 that may then affect the whole competition,” he said.
“It’s a very low risk here.”
Cr Conkey also said it was good timing for the City of Good Sports as the scheduled game between the Canberra Raiders and Newcastle Knights at McDonald’s Park in April was cancelled amid the pandemic.
“We're having a huge hit at the moment as far as the economy is concerned so they would also bring an economic benefit to the city,” Cr Conkey said.
“We’re very disappointed that the Raiders-Knights game didn’t go ahead for COVID-19 reasons, but this is an opportunity for us to build another relationship with another club.
“The Storm’s got a lot of following in this area and we want to help rugby league any way we can.”
City of Good Sports
Massive rugby league fan Tony Scutti said the Storm being based in the city is a positive for everyone.
While he supports the Raiders, Mr Scutti said it was about the survival of the game and that the city would do the same for any club.
“We love the game and this is the City of Good Sports,” Mr Cutti said.
“I would hate for the game to die. If they do come here, it would inspire the local clubs to keep fighting and to be able to play again when things are normal again.”
Mr Scutti had been renovating his house while the season was suspended and said he looks forward to May 28 when it resumes.
“I can’t wait for the competition to start again — I don’t have to keep watch replays,” he said.
Wagga councillors Tim Koschel and Dan Hayes said they have also spoken with council staff following Albury council’s decision.
“I believe that our city would be a perfect base for them,” Cr Koschel said in a statement.
CEO left disappointed
Following Albury councillors’ decision, Storm CEO Dave Donaghy said it was disappointing.
“I was involved in a phone hook-up last night so I wasn’t particularly shocked, but I think disappointed is probably the best way to sum it up,” Mr Donaghy told Fox League Live.
“We’ve got many members and fans up in the Albury-Wodonga region — rugby league in that area is really growing.
“The field at Greenfield has been set up by the local rugby league community. They want to invest in the redevelopment of that, they marked the fields, put the posts up, so it’s really disappointing for those guys that we’re not able to use that facility.”
Mr Donaghy emphasised that the team will be “largely ghosts” in Albury as they will be separated from the community to ease fears about the coronavirus.
The Storm has been contacted for comment about the potential base in Wagga should the Victorian government maintain its current restrictions.