Brisbane Broncos NRL stars have fled interstate to avoid being caught up in a coronavirus outbreak and snap lockdown in their hometown.
Players and staff boarded a chartered flight for Sydney at short notice on Monday after Queensland recorded four more locally-acquired cases, sparking a three day lockdown for Greater Brisbane and surrounding areas.
The state recorded another eight new cases on Tuesday as a concerning community cluster grows.
The Broncos escaped Brisbane two hours before the city was plunged into lockdown at 5pm Monday and touched down in Sydney, where they were greeted on the tarmac by police and health officers to check their temperature checked as a precaution.
Among the stars pictured being checked was Broncos enforcer Payne Haas, who’s back from a three-match suspension for abusing police officers on a drunken night out during the off-season.
Broncos enforcer Payne Haas (pictured) gets his temperature checked on the tarmac after the club touched down in Sydney late Monday afternoon
The Broncos were whisked away to a waiting bus which transported them to the team hotel accompanied by a police escort.
Brisbane players and staff were all tested over the weekend with results all negative, and have been in home isolation since.
The club has set up camp in Sydney for the next 10 days at least, uncertain of when they can return home.
Interim Broncos boss Neil Monaghan said the players and staff have taken the changes in their stride.
‘While it’s tough on many of our team with young families, they are keen to get on the road and prepare for a great challenge against the Storm,’ he said.
The Broncos have three days to prepare for their round four Good Friday blockbuster clash against reining champions Melbourne Storm, with the venue yet to be finalised.
Scheduled to be played at Storm fortress AAMI Park, the venue remains under a COVID-19 cloud as the NRL consider contingency plans amid talks with the Victorian government.
Brisbane Broncos stars made a mercy dash to Sydney on Monday to avoid the city’s snap lockdown. Pictured is Broncos star Alex Glenn
Brisbane Broncos players and staff were whisked away to their hotel via bus (pictured) which was accompanied by a police escort
Victoria slammed its border shut to parts of south-east Queensland on Monday after lore locally-acquired cases were recorded.
The NRL is hopeful the mercy dash interstate hours before Victoria’s border closed – will be enough to save the Broncos requiring an exemption.
However, if it is not the NRL has several options at play to ensure the game goes ahead, including playing the match in Sydney.
One possible back-up is understood to include playing it at Stadium Australia, making for a double-header after the earlier South Sydney Rabbitohs versus Canterbury clash.
The Brisbane Broncos will spend the next 10 days in Sydney. Pictured is their chartered flight touching down in Sydney late Monday afternoon
‘At this stage, the game is in Melbourne, and we will wait and see what develops over the next few days,’ NRL head of football Graham Annesley said.
‘We’ll do everything we can to keep the competition as scheduled. However, we have to balance that against the continuation of the competition.
‘And the commission’s overriding priority is to make sure that we can get the competition away that we don’t have to suspend games or suspend rounds.’
He acknowledged the Broncos may be forced to remain in Sydney for more than the 10 days planned
‘Of course there’s a chance that the Queensland government could lock Brisbane down for a longer period of time,’ Annesley said.
‘At this stage it’s three days.
‘There’s a chance that the lockdown could be extended beyond the current geographical areas but the difficulty of this is we are guessing.’
Hundreds of Brisbane residents queued to be tested on Monday after more locally-acquired coronavirus cases were recorded. Pictured is a motorist being tested at a drive-through clinic
The NRL is also keeping a watchful eye on the evolving situation on Queensland, where two fixtures are scheduled for Saturday night.
The Cronulla Sharks are scheduled to tackle North Queensland Cowboys on the Sunshine Coast, followed by Gold Coast Titans hosting the Canberra Raiders at home.
Both regions are currently not included in the lockdown affecting Greater Brisbane and surrounding regions.
