Roosters' NRL clash moved to Newcastle
The Sydney Roosters' clash with Melbourne has become the first game moved as a result of NSW's COVID-19 crisis, with the match shifted to Newcastle.
Roosters officials made the call to move next Thursday's clash from the SCG - the next NRL game due to be played in Sydney.
Melbourne are still based on the Sunshine Coast due to Victoria's COVID outbreak, and borders are currently closed between Queensland and Greater Sydney.
The Roosters are arguably the club most impacted by the current situation, with their training based at Moore Park in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
"The people of the Hunter region love rugby league so it was an easy call to take our round-16 home game to Newcastle," Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
A decision on the other games in Sydney next weekend is yet to be made, with the NRL liaising with state governments.
The game under the biggest cloud appears to be Cronulla's away clash with Brisbane, given the border closures.
It's likely the Sharks would need to fly in and out on a chartered flight in a similar situation to the way the competition was played last year.
State of Origin III is also scheduled to be played in Sydney on July 14.
Sydney-based NRL players have been placed in level-three restrictions, effectively returning them to last year's bubble.
