NRL news: After 46 days away Melbourne Storm will finally return home as they exit to avoid the Queensland lockdown
As AFL teams are forced on the road, at least one NRL team finally gets to go home as Queensland joins Sydney in lockdown.
The Covid-crisis which has plunged four capital cities into lockdown has a silver lining for Melbourne Storm with the NRL premiers heading home after seven-weeks on the road.
As Queensland is sent in to a three-day lockdown amid an escalation in cases, Storm, which fled Victoria to base themselves on the Sunshine Coast, will return to Melbourne.
All players and officials will board a charter flight this afternoon with plans still in place to travel to Newcastle on Thursday to play the Roosters on Friday, a match which was moved out of Sydney.
“After 46 days we are heading back to Melbourne,” Storm football boss Frank Ponissi said.
“It’s been a challenging 46 days ... the uncertainty over that time has been challenging for the whole squad players. We now know what’s going on, we’re going home.
“Thankfully we’ll start playing our home games at AAMI Park.”
Ponissi said it had been a “hectic” few days s uncertainty continued to hunt officials.
Our NRL squad and their families will return to Melbourne this evening thanks to @AllianceQQ.
— Melbourne Storm 🆠(@storm) June 29, 2021
â°The team then plans to travel to Newcastle from Melbourne on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/DO5hqs2JoN
“Hectic would be an understatement,” he said.
“We had a meeting with the players on Sunday night and told them to expect anything this week. That’s the way it turned out. Now with what’s happening in Queensland it was the ideal time to get out.
“Now Victoria is the place to be.”
Storm will play it’s first home game since Round 8 agai9nst the Knights in Round 18.
Despite being on the road for such an extensive time, Storm has been unbeatable and are on a 12-game winning streak.
On Monday the NRL advised players and officials to revert to Level 4 Biosecurity Protocols as the Delta variant of Covid-19 continues to move through Sydney.
Under the new regulations, players must remain at home unless training, playing or “completing an essential household task”.
Players and officials are not permitted to welcome visitors into their homes. The new restrictions will apply to all players and officials, not just those based in Sydney.
“When the competition resumes on Thursday night, players and officials will be under the same protocols as they were when the competition successfully resumed on May 28 last year,’’ NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said in a statement released Monday.
“It’s clear the virus is spreading quickly and these measures provide an additional safeguard to ensure the competition can continue.
“Our players, officials and clubs united last year to ensure no risk to the competition or the community and I have every confidence the same will apply as we work through the current challenges.
“I want to sincerely thank the players and clubs for the way in which they continually adapt to the changing Covid environment.”
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