Canberra Stadium is on standby as a potential venue for State of Origin One as the NRL monitors a rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation in Melbourne, which is due to host the series opener.
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This week's virus outbreak in Victoria has plunged the MCG clash into serious jeopardy, leaving the NRL seeking a potential alternative neutral venue for the June 9 clash.
Perth and Adelaide have also been floated possible hosts, although the latter banned non-essential travel from Melbourne late on Wednesday night. Should that border closure extend to include other areas of Australia, Adelaide Oval would effectively be ruled out as a possible host.
The NRL has contacted Venues Canberra about the availability of Canberra Stadium on June 9, but no formal request for its use has been received, according to an ACT Government spokesperson. While playing the series opener at a neutral venue is a high priority for the league, it also hasn't ruled out moving the match to Sydney or Melbourne should the MCG prove too dangerous.
Melbourne Storm players have been based on the Sunshine Coast recently, and will likely remain there until the Victorian COVID-19 situation is neutralised.
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That means all Origin players selected for game one will be based in either NSW or Queensland.
NRL boss Andrew Abdo was hopeful the game would still be played at the MCG.
"We would have to see a significant increase in the number of cases and a potential full lockdown of Victoria [for the game to be moved]," Abdo said.
"We need to think about what happens with Victorian State Government protocols.
"Clearly we would need to take into account football fairness. It wouldn't be uncommon for us to consider another neutral state."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
