CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
SCRAP IT, DOESN’T COUNT: The QLD Maroons have shared their grave concerns with the media over player safety in the midst of the Sydney outbreak today.
Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans and Coach Paul Green say after intense discussions amongst staff and QRL executives, the squad is calling for the NRL to abandon the 2021 series because it’s just far too risky to play game III with the growing cluster NSW.
Yesterday it was confirmed that Newcastle will host game three of the State of Origin series for the first time in history, as the growing Bondi outbreak rules out the scheduled Sydney match.
This decision was made after great deliberation by the Australian Rugby League Commission in partnership with NSW Health, who approved the relocation of the game from Stadium Australia to Newcastle – where zero active cases have been recorded.
The July 14 match will be played in front of up to 20,000 fans or 75 per cent of seated capacity.
“This is a reward for the people of Newcastle and Hunter region,’ NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said.
However, the Queensland camp says that just knowing that there are infected New South Walshmen not even two hours drive from Newcastle is quite a concern for the players.
“Look I know we sound ridiculous, but this match can’t go ahead” said coach Paul Green today.
“And if we have to cancel the third match, then I guess it means that we didn’t finish the series, so I guess we just have to scrap this year from the record books”
DCE agrees.
“I’ve got a team of blokes sitting in hotel rooms terrified off this Bondi Bug”
“This has nothing to do with us getting spanked to a scoreline of 76-6 in the last two matches. It isn’t about that”
“My boys are so scared of this virus that they are sneaking strange women into their hotel rooms at night to keep them comfort and tell them it’s all gonna be okay”
The NSW Blues have technically regained the shield after scoring keeping the Maroons scoreless in Game II at Suncorp Stadium and will look to complete just the fourth clean sweep in their history.
However, Queensland says it doesn’t matter if they already won the first two matches. It is too dangerous to finish the series in NSW.
“Call it off. Abandon it. It’s only right to keep 2021 blank in the history books” says Green.
