Coronavirus Australia: Gold Coast now may be forced to move to Sydney
Players must mask up, avoid restaurants, and will be temperature tested at training as NRL moves to level two COVID-19 protocols and considers moving Gold Coast to Sydney.
The Gold Coast Titans could join the Broncos in Sydney as early as Wednesday morning after the game heightened their biosecurity protocols in response to increased fears over the latest outbreak of COVID-19 in southeast Queensland.
NRL head of football Graham Annesley confirmed the necessary plans were in place for the Titans to pack up and shift south, but a final decision would rest on the response from the respective state governments on Wednesday morning.
Melbourne and Brisbane are also waiting anxiously for news on the future of their game on Friday night, which could yet be moved to Stadium Australia. The Storm and NRL were locked in negotiations with the Victorian government on Tuesday night and the NRL will make a final call on Wednesday.
If the Victorian government gives the Broncos exemptions to cross the border, the game will go ahead as planned at AAMI Park. If not, the Brisbane-Melbourne game will be played as part of a double header at Stadium Australia — South Sydney and Canterbury are due to play on Friday afternoon.
The Titans are due to host Canberra at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday afternoon but the game is now in danger of being shifted to Sydney amid fears that the latest Covid cluster in southeast Queensland could leave the NRL with no choice but to move the game.
“We have all the necessary plans in place but at this stage we have not activated any of them and our preference is still to play the games in their original locations,” Annesley said.
“That will depend on the government reactions.”
The Broncos have already settled into their new home base in western Sydney, having trained at Leichhardt Oval on Tuesday morning.
The remainder of the NRL was increased to level two protocols on Tuesday. The news was delivered to clubs in an email from the NRL’s general manager of elite competitions Jason King at 10am and means players must steer clear of buffets, wear masks whenever they are indoors in public, avoid public transport, and have their temperature checked before each training session.
The Bulldogs were already in lockdown after playing the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium last Saturday. Canterbury players are unable to leave their house unless it is to go to training or shop for essential items.
“Although the immediate Covid issue is localised in Brisbane, the nature of our competition means that it is necessary to move all clubs and matches to enhanced protocols from today, 30 March,” King wrote.
“We appreciate this will cause some inconvenience for our clubs, personnel, partners and families but the measures are important to ensure we are able to deliver the premiership with minimal disruption.”
The Storm remain on tenterhooks as they look for some certainty around their game against Brisbane on Friday night. The match is one of the marquee games of Melbourne’s season, yet there is a very real chance it could be played in Sydney as Covid once again threatens to play havoc with the competition.
“We have activated the scenario planning we had in place should there be an outbreak,” Abdo said.
“Yesterday we relocated the Brisbane Broncos to Sydney and today we have increased restrictions on players and clubs.
“We are confident Friday night’s game at AAMI Park will proceed however if the circumstances change then the game will be relocated to Sydney.”
The Broncos have already uprooted en masse. Having won their first game of the season last weekend against Canterbury, they had precious-little prime to celebrate before being asked to board a plane and set up camp in Sydney.
At least they travelled with Matt Lodge and Payne Haas, the two front-row enforcers returning from injury and suspension to take on the Storm.
“It’s a huge asset for us having those two boys (Haas and Lodge) back,” captain Alex Glenn said.
“Everyone knows what they bring. We’re going to need those two boys going up against Melbourne Storm this week.
“Lodgey looks unscathed. He wasn’t lacking confidence at training, he was opening up. He (Haas) is ready to go. He has done his time now and he is ready to go.
“He can’t wait.:
The Broncos are expected to be in Sydney for at least a fortnight, although their stay will largely be dictated by the Covid cluster in southeast Queensland and the response of the respective state governments.
“It was a frantic rush,” Glenn said. “But the team is handling it really well. There are a lot of things that are uncertain about how the week is going to pan out but we are dealing with it as best as we can,
“I guess it’s a taste of what the Warriors went through last year. It‘s definitely hard but I know that all our families up in Brisbane have the support.
“This is a little sacrifice that we have to do for the game and emotionally you‘ve got to commit.”
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