Saturday's Canberra Raiders clash against the Gold Coast Titans has been relocated to Kogarah Oval as part of the NRL's contingency plan to deal with Brisbane's latest COVID-19 outbreak.
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The fixture change has forced Raiders coach Ricky Stuart to redesign his entire preparation for the round-four clash, which had originally included spending two nights in Queensland.
Canberra's final training session this week will now be held at club headquarters in Braddon on Friday morning before players and officials travel to Sydney that afternoon.
They will take a bus back to Canberra from Kogarah Oval at the conclusion of the Titans clash, due to kick off at 7.45pm.
That match will be part of a double header at Kogarah, which will also feature the Cronulla Sharks-North Queensland clash, which was initially scheduled to be played in the Sunshine Coast.
Stuart's men narrowly beat the Sharks in a nail biter at the ground two weeks ago, before losing their unbeaten start to the season when run down by the New Zealand Warriors on Saturday, in which Joe Tapine and Curtis Scott were injured.
On a big day of scrambling for the NRL, it was also announced the Good Friday clash in Melbourne between the Storm and Brisbane Broncos would also go ahead, after the Victorian government granted the Queensland club an exemption to enter the state.
The league is also preparing to relocated the Titans' home fixture against Newcastle next weekend. Gold Coast will likely remain in NSW after Saturday's match against the Raiders, with the NRL to be guided by health advice.
"Our priority is ensuring all matches proceed this weekend," NRL chief Andrew Abdo said on Wednesday.
"While the infection rates in southeast Queensland are positive today, the risk of further outbreaks emerging between now and Saturday exists.
"By confirming the relocation of games today all clubs, players and fans have certainty to plan for the weekend's fixtures and as a game we eliminate the risk around whether those matches will take place."
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Saturday's clash with the Knights would have marked Cronulla's first premiership game on the Sunshine Coast.
The club was due to play a match there in 2020 but that was also cancelled, due to the pandemic.
"I know fans on the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast were looking forward to going to these games. We were particularly excited to be taking a game to the Sunshine Coast," Abdo said.
"Our priority must be ensuring we can complete Round 4 without risk of losing matches. I want to thank all clubs who are making sacrifices for the greater good of our game.
"These are difficult decisions to make but decisions that ensure our competition continues."
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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.
