The NRL is strongly considering moving this weekend's match between Melbourne and New Zealand away from the Victorian capital due to the recent coronavirus spike, while the sub-standard playing surface at Campbelltown Stadium has already forced a match to be shifted.
As Wide World of Sports revealed this morning, the NRL has now confirmed Thursday's match between Penrith and Souths will be moved away from Campbelltown Stadium, due to the substandard playing surface at the ground.
The Panthers and Rabbitohs will now play at Jubilee Stadium.
"Campbelltown Stadium has had an extremely heavy workload over the last month, with some games played in wet conditions," said NRL head of football Graham Annesley.
"The staff at Campbelltown Stadium have done an excellent job hosting a number of teams.''
The slippery surface at Campbelltown came under fire after yesterday's match between Manly and Canberra, with the Sea Eagles suffering at least two injuries that could be attributed to the condition of the ground.
Dylan Walker suffered an ankle injury, and Brad Parker was concussed after he slipped on the ground which has hosted multiple games in recent weeks.
Questions will also be raised over the surface's potential contribution to the hamstring injury suffered by Tom Trbojevic in the second half.
Meanwhile the Storm are due to host the Warriors at AAMI Park on Friday night, but with COVID-19 cases in Victoria a cause for concern, that match could be played at Jubilee Stadium in Sydney.
Victoria recorded another 16 cases today, the sixth straight day the state has recorded a figure in double digits. Premier Daniel Andrews was forced to re-introduce tougher social distancing restrictions over the weekend.
The Victorian Health Minister this morning refused to rule out reinstating stay at home orders.
It's understood the NRL is also investigating the possibility of temporarily relocating the Storm to a NSW hub, similar to the Warriors.
It comes on the back of a warning from NSW Health that travel to Victoria should be avoided.
"In line with the advice of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), NSW Health strongly discourages travel to and from areas of Victoria with COVID-19 outbreaks until control of community transmission has been confirmed," NSW Health told 9News.
The round eight match between the Storm and the Roosters, set down for AAMI Park on Thursday week, would also be likely to be shifted.
The Melbourne Storm told Wide World of Sports that at this stage the club is still going ahead with plans to host Friday's match against the Warriors at AAMI Park.
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/melbourne-storm-match-vs-new-zealand-warriors-moved-from-aami-park-due-to-covid19-outbreak/a1d6c526-0ed0-4d7f-8c48-6cac5d620533
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