Lockdown exodus: NRL firmly Marooned in Sunshine State

The rugby league forces are all tipping Queensland’s way after nearly 500 players fled across the border and the Maroons regained some State of Origin pride.

Ben Hunt of the Maroons celebrates with teammates after scoring his second try during against NSW at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast on Wednesday night. Picture: Getty Images

The rugby league forces are all tipping Queensland’s way after nearly 500 players fled across the border from Covid-hit Sydney and the Maroons regained some State of Origin pride with an against-the-odds victory in the final game of the series.

After heavy defeats in the first two games to surrender the Origin title, Queensland won Wednesday night’s match on the Gold Coast 20-18 to avert a first Blues whitewash in 21 years.

Seven years ago, former NRL chief executive Dave Smith was lambasted by NSW fans and officials for several years ago for suggesting Queensland was the heartland of rugby league, but there can be no argument now.

Nearly 500 players boarded private jets on Wednesday bound for the Covid-free confines of Queensland, tipping the game’s centre of gravity over the border .

State of Origin had already been moved, the game switched to the Gold Coast at the weekend as Covid-19 caused havoc in Sydney.

The entire NRL competition followed 24 hours later as the game’s powerbrokers acted swiftly to ensure the premiership continues. After all, the show must go on. And it will. In Queensland.

Coach Ivan Cleary, centre, and Penrith Panthers players on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland on Wednesday. Picture Lachie Millard

Players packed their bags, gave their wives, partners and children a hug, and caught the team bus to the airport. Charter flights were waiting to take them to the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, where they were greeted by police.

They had their cards stamped and went straight to their hotels, where they are to remain for the next four weeks and possibly longer. Families are to join the party this weekend, although they are to be housed at separate hotels for the initial quarantine period.

Some players left behind pregnant partners. Cronulla prop Aaron Woods remained in Sydney for the birth of his second child but was expected to join the Sharks once he welcomed his new child into the world. There were tears and a litany of videos on social media of players saying goodbye to loved ones.

James Tedesco of the Blues holds aloft the Origin trophy and celebrates with team mates after winning the series 2-1 after game three of the 2021 State of Origin Series between the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons at Cbus Super Stadium.

Sacrifices have been made. The NRL has been working around the clock to bring Project Relocation to fruition. It has been a huge logistical exercise but one the NRL has been preparing for given Covid-19’s ongoing threat.

The alternative doesn’t bear thought – that the competition is brought to a shuddering halt and the NRL is forced to pay back tens of millions to the broadcasters.

“If you think about it, on Saturday we got the call from the NSW government saying we couldn’t have crowds at State of Origin in Newcastle,” NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said.

“The next day we were onto the fact that we had to stay ahead of this and the (ARL) commission made the call to say we are moving the competition.

“Thank goodness we did that then. From Sunday until today it has been non-stop divide and conquer different work streams.

“We had to figure out which groups of people were going to come from each club, restrict that, get every one of them tested, get their personal details, get them ready to travel in literally two and a half days.

“Then we had to figure out how we were going to get them there. Then figure out how we were going to organise 12 performance centres for clubs, gyms, exclusive access to retraining facilities, security and ring-fencing big compounds around hotels … The key goal was to keep the competition going.”