State of Origin III venue: Newcastle no guarantee to host game
Newcastle is the preferred venue to host Origin III, but this is the scenario which would see the Steel City lose the game.
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The Blues win three-nil without actually playing in NSW – this could be the greatest Origin series win ever.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal the NRL has ruled out playing State of Origin III in Sydney but have drawn up a late emergency plan to transfer the match to either Victoria, Canberra or Queensland.
A three-nil clean sweep – without playing one game in NSW – would ensure Brad Fittler’s team enter Origin folklore.
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The development comes as NSW officials discuss taking the Blues into camp at The Entrance, on NSW’s Central Coast, from the middle of next week up until game day on July 14.
Newcastle remains favourite to host game three but the NRL has an interstate contingency arrangement should Covid suddenly send the Hunter city into lockdown.
As one official said: “It will be played where it’s safe in terms of general public protocols, where there is support from local Government and what the biosecurity situation is.”
The game would still proceed at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium with a 50 per cent capacity but a ‘no crowd’ edict would push the game out of NSW.
The NRL desperately wants the game to be played in NSW – and in front of a crowd – but is aware one outbreak could force the dead rubber north or south.
NRL officials and Project Apollo continue to closely monitor and gather Covid data daily.
The MCG, Suncorp Stadium or Canberra Stadium are options should Newcastle’s bid fall over late.
Never before has all three games of a series been played outside NSW, ensuring this year’s series victory will be history-making.
NRL management wants to play the game in Newcastle to reward loyal Hunter rugby league fans.
Stadium Australia was scheduled for Origin III but the game will be played just five days after Sydney, potentially, emerges from lockdown.
Officials also fear a “lag” from when lockdown concludes on July 9 until game day.
A lockdown extension to Greater Sydney would mean Origin III at Stadium Australia would be played before an empty stadium – a risk the NRL won’t take.
A decision on the game three venue is expected to be reached over the weekend or Monday at the latest. NRL management want the venue settled before players enter camp on Monday.
All 18 AFL clubs have relocated to Melbourne given the city is, currently, Covid free. A push for the game to be played in a regional town appears unlikely.
The NRL will look at Melbourne again if Newcastle is cancelled after shifting Origin I from the Victorian capital to Townsville. Canberra was also a candidate for Origin I.
NSW players are expected to leave Sydney on Tuesday or Wednesday and spend nearly a week at Magenta Shores Resort while training at Morrie Breen Oval, Wyong.
The Blues spent six weeks at the same resort during Covid last year.
LITTLE TOWN’S BIG BID TO SNATCH ORIGIN
Dear Peter and Commissioners, please bring State of Origin to Mudgee, you won’t regret it.
Regards, Des.
That is the message from Mudgee Mayor Des Kennedy to ARL Commission chairman, Peter V’landys, who will decide within the next 48 hours where Origin III will be played.
News Corp revealed on Wednesday that the RLPA was pushing for the July 14 game to be taken to regional NSW, possibly Mudgee, Tamworth or Dubbo.
Newcastle remains favourite to host the dead-rubber although the commission may still opt for Stadium Australia, original venue for the game.
Given multiple sporting teams across several sports have relocated to Victoria, Melbourne is seen as an outside contender.
Covid numbers will help determine by the ARLC’s decision and whether ground capacity will need to be slashed by 50 per cent.
Country rugby league clubs feel an Origin game would be a fitting and deserved reward for the unwavering and loyal support bush footy gives rugby league.
“We’ve got the best facilities in the bush and it would be the greatest shot in the arm for country rugby league,” said Kennedy.
“Obviously I’m biased, but I’d rather see it played in Mudgee rather than Tamworth or Wagga.
“It would depend on restrictions. I fully understand Newcastle would be favourite but playing it in the country would be fantastic for bush footy.
“Mudgee is only a three-and-a-half hour drive from Sydney and it’s a great place to come. Fans could come and visit the wineries and take in all the tourist attractions. We have a bit more to offer than some of those other country towns.
“This is a fact — since we have been active in getting NRL and Charity Shield games out here over the past five, six years, we now have 438 kids in the Mudgee area registered this year to play junior rugby league.
“That’s a 40 per cent growth over the last couple of years. It is such a spike that every age group now has two or three teams.
“Our ground (Glen Willow Stadium) holds a tick over 10,000 fans. Mudgee is the place.”
A final decision on the game’s venue is expected by the weekend although NSW deputy Premier, John Barilaro, is supporting a switch to Newcastle.
Even at 50 per cent, Stadium Australia could still accommodate 40,000 fans, an attractive financial choice for the NRL.
But playing the game in Sydney would be risky given the city remains in lockdown until at least July 9. Queensland stole Origin I but won’t bid for the final game.
As one official said: “Why take another game up there for the Maroons to be embarrassed in front of their own fans again?”
Canberra and Gold Coast aren’t genuine options. It is unknown just how serious the NRL is about taking a game to the country as it would present several logistical issues.
Parramatta’s Bankwest Stadium will be considered but is a highly unlikely Origin venue.
MAROONS FACE MORE HUMILIATION
— Travis Meyn
Queensland will have to front up for a potential 3-0 State of Origin series whitewash after the NRL confirmed Game Three would definitely be contested despite the current Covid crisis.
The last game of the series on July 14 is expected to be shifted from Stadium Australia to Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium to escape the current lockdown restrictions in Sydney.
The NRL is facing a logistical nightmare to move players around the east coast of the country in line with the game’s current biosecurity protocols given they will return to their clubs after the match but are not permitted on commercial flights.
However the game faces a multimillion-dollar loss through television rights if it abandons the game and NSW will get the chance to inflict a 3-0 defeat of Queensland.
ARLC chairman Peter V’landys declared Origin III would definitely be played.
“We will make a decision in the next two days on the venue,” he said.
“The game will 100 per cent go ahead. We will be playing every game this season – that is our aim.”
WHY THESE REGIONS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR ORIGIN
— Dean Ritchie
The Rugby League Players Association is behind a stunning push to take next month’s third State of Origin game to the country in the wake of Sydney’s Covid outbreak.
In what would be a historic move, RLPA chief executive Clint Newton has urged the NRL to consider rejuvenating bush footy by taking the July 14 event to either Tamworth, Dubbo or Mudgee.
“It would be incredible,” Newton said on Tuesday evening.
The ARL Commission is likely to decide a new venue for the game on Wednesday or Thursday with Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium the favourite.
Origin III is still formally scheduled for Stadium Australia on July 14 but Sydney’s Covid lockdown is almost certain to prompt a late venue change.
Gold Coast’s Cbus Stadium and Parramatta’s Bankwest Stadium remain other, albeit unlikely, options.
Newton said the NRL should look at shifting the game to a rugby league-mad regional centre if other stadiums are restricted to 50 per cent capacities.
The NRL has said it would settle on a venue or town which offered the highest financial enticement.
“It’s never happened before and Covid has taught us that we can do things for the first time,” Newton said on the back of the NRL moving Origin I from Melbourne to Townsville with a limited turnaround.
“If those city hubs like Newcastle, Sydney, Canberra and Queensland weren’t available, can we go to regional areas?
“In my view, when I started hearing about the change of venue, I thought: ‘Is this (taking Origin III to the country) an option?’
“It would come to the NRL administration to determine what’s possible but it would be pretty special if it was possible.”
There have been recent pushes to give more attention to country league.
The NSW brains trust — coach Brad Fittler and assistants Craig Fitzgibbon and Danny Buderus — have all supported bush footy, which Newton thinks could help bring about the move.
“When you look at some of the country boys playing for NSW and we know how passionate Freddy and Fitzy were about City-Country, and Bedsy, it would be a great opportunity,” Newton said.
“It will come down to what will generate the most revenue, what maximises the return and how do we best put our game out there. If Newcastle is the best option, then fantastic, there’s no better place than Newcastle to play rugby league.
“But if there are other options that can generate a bigger return, or equal return, then they should all be on the table, whether that’s a Mudgee, Dubbo or Tamworth.
“Imagine the return from a human element for country people. You wonder whether they are options if people could travel there.
“And you’d think they’d have a back-up plan if, say, Newcastle, there were a few more cases there and they couldn’t have 50 per cent crowds there.
“Does a 50 per cent crowd at Newcastle — if we were in that spot — trump a full house at Dubbo, Tamworth or Mudgee? I don’t know.”
The NSW Government is determined to keep the game in NSW after Queensland pinched Origin I, which was moved out of Melbourne due to Covid.
“The NRL would have to work through it all and determine what can and can’t be done. How would people get there? Would there be restrictions on people travelling? What is the population?” Newton said.
“All those things would have to be properly considered.”
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