Canberra Stadium's ability to host a crowd could determine whether the Raiders' home ground hosts an historic first State of Origin game.
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If the ACT continues to have low-to-no coronavirus in the community and crowd restrictions continue to get eased then the venue could be in the mix to be a neutral option for this year's series.
The ARL Commission has said all options are on the table and they're considering Canberra Stadium as a possible venue for this year's Origin series, with government health advice on crowd capacity to be a big factor.
But the NRL were yet to contact the ACT government, with Venues Canberra chief operating officer Matthew Elkins set to reach out to them on Monday to assess whether the NRL's interest is genuine.
So far the ACT government has had a cautious approach as the second wave of COVID-19 continues to spread - especially in Victoria, but also now in NSW and Queensland.
Currently crowds at Canberra Stadium are capped at 1500, but they had been cleared to rise to 6000 until the virus flared up in Victoria.
The ACT government will consider whether to allow bigger crowds this month - potentially even this week.
Adelaide Oval was set to be the neutral venue for this year's Origin series before the pandemic hit, but it remains unclear whether the South Australian government will want it to go ahead.
That opens the door for Canberra Stadium.
Raiders chairman Allan Hawke backed it as a venue capable of hosting an Origin game.
It's capacity is about 25,000, but that will be affected by what social-distancing measures were in place when the series takes place - currently scheduled for November 4, 11 and 18.
"The ACT medical authorities and the ACT government have been very good for the Raiders in these trying circumstances," Hawke said.
"The ACT medical people will be reconsidering allowable crowd numbers at the stadium probably before the end of this month, which means giving serious thought to whether we can have some more people at the ground than what we're currently allowed to have.
"If the ACT continues doing as well as it's done with the dreaded COVID it might be a place where you can have a bigger number for a State of Origin.
"The ACT's handled the COVID thing absolutely magnificently. It'd be quite a fillip for the town."
MORE RAIDERS NEWS
ACT chief health officer Kerryn Coleman's set to reassess Canberra's restrictions this week, with the potential for further easing given there haven't been any new cases in the capital since July 10.
Raiders chief executive Don Furner said they were in the hands of the government, but he was hopeful crowd restrictions would be eased in the coming months.
Their next home game is against the Brisbane Broncos on August 15, while they also host a grand final rematch against the Sydney Roosters on September 5.
That Roosters clash could also be Sonny Bill Williams' first NRL game since the 2014 preliminary final.
"That'd be fantastic [to get an Origin game]," Furner said.
"I think on August 6 the chief health officer's going to make another assessment of our crowds so we're just in their hands and we'll cooperate with them.
"It's always changing and fluid so we're just going to have to wait and see what happens.
"Obviously we'd like to have a big crowd for the Roosters grand final replay with Sonny Bill Williams playing, but we're in their hands."
The ACT government urged Canberrans against unnecessary travel to Greater Sydney on Friday, but it's not expected to impact the Green Machine.
They play ladder-leading Penrith Panthers at Penrith Stadium on Saturday.
It's their only game in Sydney for at least a month.
Furner said it was no different to when they travelled to the Gold Coast to play the New Zealand Warriors in round two.
Because the Raiders players were in the NRL bubble, they're essentially isolated from the community.
"I don't believe [the advice will affect us] because we're in and out, we're in a hub," Furner said.
"The same as we were when we went to the Gold Coast. We stay on the plane and bus straight in and out."
NRL ROUND 13
Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Penrith Panthers at Penrith Stadium, 7.35pm.