The Storm have relocated to Queensland for the third time in a year and will host the Newcastle Knights at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday night after Melbourne’s latest looming lockdown forced the premiers to join the rest of the NRL in the Sunshine State.
Originally set down for AAMI Park, the clash between the Storm and Knights will now kick off at 7.35pm as the second game of a Saturday double-header on the Gold Coast.
The first match will be between the Raiders and Sharks at 5.35pm, moved from its original time slot of 3pm.
The North Queensland Cowboys will now host a Saturday afternoon game ahead of the V8 Supercars’ WD-40 Townsville SuperSprint race which will begin at the conclusion of the game.
The Cowboys’ clash with the Roosters at Queensland Country Bank Stadium will kick off at 3pm.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said the revised schedule would be a win for South-East Queensland league fans and North Queensland sporting fans.
Raiders v Sharks – Round 18
“The Gold Coast now hosts a double-header on Saturday which gives fans the opportunity to see twice the action and that’s a good outcome for the game,’’ Abdo said.
“The Cowboys will now play at 3pm and I want to thank the V8 Supercars who are moving their race in Townsville back to ensure no overlap between the two events. This collaboration is a win for all sports fans.
“I want to thank all clubs for working together to achieve a schedule in the best interests of the competition, in particular the North Queensland Cowboys who agreed to re-schedule a genuine home game on very short notice.”
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