Queensland Covid outbreak forces major change to NRL Grand Final

Just days out from the Grand Final, Queensland’s Covid-19 outbreak has dealt a major blow to the NRL and footy fans.

Covid-19 has rocked the NRL Grand Final as further restrictions were introduced in Queensland because of the growing outbreak.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced six new locally acquired cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours and revealed some areas of the state are going back to stage two restrictions for the next fortnight. The areas include: Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Gold Coast, Townsville, Logan and Palm Island.

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The Grand Final between Penrith and South Sydney is scheduled to take place at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium for the first time ever on Sunday night and while the Premier didn’t specifically mention the game at her press conference on Thursday, the new restrictions mean crowd capacity will be cut to 75 per cent.

Suncorp Stadium has a capacity of 52,500 and more than 50,000 tickets have already been sold for the match, meaning roughly 13,000 fans will need to hand back their tickets.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo revealed a “last in, first out” policy will be adopted when it comes to deciding who will be allowed to attend the Grand Final.

“We had two allocations of Grand Final tickets. The first was to the general public and the second was aimed at fans of both Grand Final teams,’’ Abdo said.

“The fairest way to determine who can attend the game is by prioritising the first 75 per cent to purchase tickets in each allocation. Any fan who no longer wants to attend will also be able to access a refund.

“I want to acknowledge fans who will now miss out on attending the Grand Final. I know you had been counting down the days to a once in a lifetime experience and this will be difficult news to take, but this decision is out of our hands.”

A snap lockdown has been avoided but as part of the state’s restrictions, no more than 30 people will be allowed in homes and there’s a cap of 100 attendees at wedding and funerals. The development also means a one person per four square metres cap in restaurants and cafes and a requirement for those at hospitality venues to remain seated while eating and drinking.

In addition to the crowd hit, a positive case in Townsville means the NRL’s back-up plan has been affected too. The league had earmarked Townsville as its “Plan B” should a Covid-19 outbreak in Brisbane spark a lockdown that would prevent supporters from attending the match.

But should that eventuate, Townsville may no longer be a viable option because a pilot was infectious when he arrived in the city on September 21.

The Panthers are out for redemption. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Queensland authorities are racing to stop the virus from spreading from a truckie who failed to check in to eateries and hotels in the inner city for over a week, while a Brisbane woman is understood to have tested positive to Covid late on Wednesday night after visiting a northern NSW hotspot.

Queensland chief health officer Jeannette Young has refrained from plunging the region into its sixth snap lockdown, despite more active cases and the number of exposure sites increasing within days.

“Our vaccination rates are up. People are checking in. But as soon as we see further seeding, which is not from people who are in isolation, then they will be the trigger points Dr Young will look at (for a lockdown),” Ms Palaszczuk warned.

“We want to make sure this is not seeding in the community. We’ve got to put these restrictions in place to avoid a lockdown at this stage.

“I’m quite sure we’ll be able to get through this, like we did previously, if everyone does the right thing.”