Storm could spend months in Queensland

Melbourne’s NRL squad could spend months on the Sunshine Coast as coronavirus cases continue to rise in Victoria.

Storm veteran Dale Finucane says the players held a meeting with NRL boss Andrew Abdo and biosecurity expert David Heslop on Sunday night and were told there was no end date yet for their stay in Queensland.

“Given that the numbers are increasing in Victoria it’s not looking like (we’ll be home) any time soon,” Finucane said on Monday.

“They want a period of 28 days once the virus has slowed so if today, for whatever reason, the virus slowed, we’d be looking at 28 days.

“Obviously that’s probably not happening any time soon given that the rates are continuing to increase.”

A number of players have been joined by their families at Twin Waters Resort, with 20 partners and around 30 children staying, although they can’t leave the confines of the Storm “bubble” within the complex for the next fortnight.

Melbourne hammered the Warriors last round, with the Storm sympathetic to the plight of the Auckland-based players who have been in Australia without their families since before the competition restart.

Finucane didn’t think his side would have the same challenges.

“Their predicament is different to ours as we’ve been given exemptions for our partners because it’s within Australia,” he said.

“And then with their coach being sacked, it adds to a bit of turmoil at their club.”

Melbourne will play their nominated home games for the foreseeable future at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, starting with Thursday’s match against premiers Sydney Roosters.

Storm playmaker Cameron Munster underwent physio on his injured knee on Monday morning and is scheduled to go for scans later in the day.

Stay up to date with the latest sports news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest sporting news!