Queensland Covid outbreak sparks NRL Grand Final ‘crisis talks’

The NRL is facing a chaotic Grand Final week after Queensland announced new restrictions, pushing the league towards a desperate move.

The NRL and Queensland Government is reportedly in “crisis talks” to come up with a back up plan for Sunday’s NRL Grand Final which could see the match played at Townsville’s Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

Three new local Covid-19 infections in Brisbane have put the state on high alert.

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A guesthouse in South Brisbane is under police guard in response to fears of a third Covid-19 case in the state just hours after a mystery infection was announced.

The situation at Adalong Guesthouse has escalated fears in Queensland, following a male aviation worker being confirmed on Monday night as a new infection and subsequent reports from Sky News the man’s partner is also infected.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk downplayed the risk of the match being moved.

“No, not at this stage. Not at all, no,” Palaszczuk told reporters while announcing new vaccination and mask rules for the state.

“We’ll be updating the community every single day. Very early stages at the moment. It’s going to be really critical if anyone’s got any symptoms to go and get tested.”

It’s left the NRL scrambling just days from its season decider on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium after relocating to Queensland in order to save the season midway through the year.

Just the crowd you want for an all-Sydney Grand Final. Photo: Adam Head

The reports were conflicting as the news spread about the possibility the match could be relocated.

Channel 9’s Jess Millward reported the NRL and Queensland Government were having “crisis talks” with ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys.

Fox Sports’ Cody Kaye told Fox Sports News that “The NRL emphatically ruled out any crisis talks” but conceded that the match could move if it needed to”.

The Australian’s Brent Read also suggested that the NRL were “on alert but no suggestion at this stage that grand final will be moved or postponed”.

Nine’s Danny Weidler also said the “next 48 hours is important” as a lockdown or crowd ban would change the circumstances.

V’landys was quoted by The Courier Mail and said that the NRL were keeping abreast of the situation and that Townsville was Plan B.

“We are talking to the government,” V’landys told The Courier Mail.

“At this stage it is not a concern but we will know more as the day unfolds.

“The grand final won’t stay at Suncorp if there is a lockdown, but at this stage there isn’t one, so we have to hope and pray there isn’t a lockdown.

“There’s two cases but they are husband and wife so hopefully it can be well contained.

“We will see what happens later today. I don’t have too much information at this stage.”

V’landys has previously said the NRL Grand Final would not be played without a crowd.

Souths won the qualifying final — at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Townsville had previously bailed the NRL out in State of Origin when Game One was relocated from the MCG to Townsville to keep the series alive.

Similarly, Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate also put C-Bus Stadium, which hosted Origin Game III at late notice, up for consideration.

“Safety is the No. 1 priority and our city has not had a single community transmission since August last year,’’ he said.

“The NRL could do a ticket transfer for all ticket holders who will travel into Brisbane for the final. If Brisbane goes into lockdown, those Brisbane ticket holders can be given full refunds and those tickets then come into the market.

“This is not about a single NRL game .. this is about community safety and our city is the obvious choice for the final given we are 80km from Suncorp Stadium.’’

This is despite the stadium hosting both the Australia Vs Argentina and South Africa Vs New Zealand Rugby Championship double header on Saturday night.

Mr Tate said that the ground staff could turn the ground around overnight for the NRL Grand Final.

Earlier on Channel 9’s Today, epidemiologist Professor Mary-Louise McLaws called for the Grand Final to be postponed to avoid a superspreader event.

“I would postpone it or stop it, stop people from attending it because it really is a flashpoint,” she said.

“We saw the same sort of thing in Melbourne as well.

“They have done so much work in places like Queensland to keep it out but this may be a tipping point for it to get into their community while they are trying to get the vaccines up.

“Yes, it is an important event, but weighing it as an outbreak manager, you would be saying why risk this?”

Queensland’s season opening Sheffield Shield clash with Tasmania has also been postponed after the scare.

Originally published as Queensland Covid outbreak sparks NRL Grand Final ‘crisis talks’