NRL 2020: Canterbury Bulldogs v Sydney Roosters game postponed over COVID-19 scare
In an extraordinary move, Sunday’s clash between the Sydney Roosters and Canterbury Bulldogs will be pushed back until Monday following a Coronavirus scare which has rattled the NRL.
Phil Rothfield, The Daily Telegraph
Subscriber only June 14, 2020 10:16am
The NRL has been forced to postpone Sunday afternoon’s Canterbury – Sydney Roosters game because of a coronavirus scare.
Bulldogs star Aiden Tolman’s children attend the Laguna Street primary school where a teacher has tested positive to coronavirus.
The game has been postponed until 7pm on Monday night on Fox Sports to allow Tolman to be tested for coronavirus. He is expected to receive his results back by lunchtime on Sunday.
“We’re not prepared to risk it,” ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys told The Daily Telegraph.
“The health of the players come first.”
V’landys said while the risk the virus had spread to the Bulldogs playing group was remote the Commission wanted absolute certainty before allowing the team to play.
“There’s a very remote risk of infection within the Bulldogs squad,” V’landys said.
“To ensure there is no risk at all, the player will be tested (on Sunday) and the game delayed until (Monday) to ensure the test results have returned. I want to congratulate the Bulldogs for swiftly informing the NRL.
“I want to thank our broadcast partners for their assistance, at very short notice, in changing the schedule.
“The changes will ensure our fans will still be able to watch a game on free to air television (on Sunday) afternoon.”
The match is the first to be affected by the virus since the NRL’s resumption last month.
St George-Illawarra and Cronulla, originally scheduled for 6.30pm, has been switched to 4pm on Sunday.
All students at the school in Sydney’s south had been told to self-isolate after news came through on Saturday afternoon that a staff member had tested positive to COVID-19.
Parents were notified on Saturday night, which is when it became apparent that Tolman had been caught up in the scare.
It isn’t the first coronavirus-related hiccup that has hit the NRL since its resumption, with the Bulldogs hit with a $25,000 suspended fine after club legend Terry Lamb was caught on camera breaching biosecurity protocols at training.
Lamb was captured shaking hands with players, which led to training being shut down until the 350-game champion had returned a negative test for the virus.
Last week,
Wests Tigers star Benji Marshall was sent home from training after he gave a journalist a kiss on the cheek.
Marshall. who was dropped ahead of their Round 5 defeat to Canberra, was forced to quarantine over COVID-19 fears before being allowed to return to training once the journalist, Channel 7’s Michelle Bishop, returned a negative test.