Melbourne Storm has agreed to relocate its scheduled game against the New Zealand Warriors from AAMI Park to Sydney’s Netstrata Jubilee Stadium this Friday night.
The decision was made this afternoon in consultation with the NRL’s Project Apollo group.
Storm CEO Dave Donaghy said the health and safety of the players and staff has always been, and will continue to remain, the club’s number one priority.
"While our members and fans can’t yet come to AAMI Park to watch us play, it is still our home ground and any decision to move matches away needs careful consideration," Donaghy said.
"The fact that we have some COVID-19 hotspots in Victoria has made it difficult for our team and visiting teams to continue playing at AAMI Park in the short-term. We will continue to work with the NRL and our government partners on the scheduling of future matches."
Storm will fly to Sydney later this week to prepare for the match against the Warriors.
Further updates regarding Storm’s plans will be communicated as they become available.
NRL Acting CEO Andrew Abdo thanked the Storm club, players and staff for the sacrifice they will make over this period.
"I want to thank the Melbourne Storm players for putting the game ahead of their personal circumstances. What I’m most proud about this year is that every obstacle we have faced the game has banded together to reach an outcome in the best interests of the overall competition," he said.
"It was important to take decisive action not only in the best interest of our players and staff, but the broader community. We have shown that if there is even the slightest risk of infection we won’t hesitate to reschedule or relocate games."
