As a result of the latest COVID lockdown to hit Melbourne, the Storm have been forced to relocate for a third time this season, seeing them move to Queensland on short notice and joining the rest of the NRL competition.
The Storm were originally set to play the Newcastle Knights at AAMI Park in Melbourne this weekend, but that has since been moved to CBus Super Stadium at 7:35pm.
That game will now be part of a double-header at the ground, with the Canberra and Cronulla clash to be re-scheduled to 5:30pm.
The Roosters and Cowboys clash will also be re-scheduled, with their game in Townsville set to kick off at 3pm to accomodate the fixture changes.
Speaking toย NRL.com,ย CEO Andrew Abdo thanked all the clubs for their swift movements to keep the competition alive amid the current COVID crisis in New South Wales and Victoria.
โThe Gold Coast now hosts a double-header on Saturday which gives fans the opportunity to see twice the action and thatโs a good outcome for the game,โโ Abdo said.
โThe 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.
โI 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.
โThe Storm have made significant sacrifices over the last two years, I want to thank the players and staff for everything they are doing to keep our competition going."
It's a bitter blow for the Storm, who were set to play their first game in front of a Melbourne crowd since April, after only just moving back to Melbourne from the Sunshine Coast two weeks ago.
With the COVID situation moving rapidly and a lockdown taking place, the club were forced to make the move for the better of the competition.
Storm CEO Justin Rodski said the club is disappointed they won't be able to play in front of the Melbourne crowd this weekend.
"We are really disappointed we wonโt be able to play in front of our members and fans again this weekend as we hoped to," Rodski said.
"I know how much everyone connected with Storm - our players and staff through to our hugely loyal members and fans - was looking forward to it.
"There has been so much excitement and planning put into returning to AAMI Park but unfortunately the decision in the end was out of our hands."
The revised schedule for the three games having to be changed are as follows:
3pm: North Queensland Cowboys v Sydney Roosters at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
5.30pm: Canberra Raiders v Cronulla Sutherland Sharks at Cbus Super Stadium.
7.35pm: Melbourne Storm v Newcastle Knights at Cbus Super Stadium