The NRL has made the last-minute call to shift State of Origin III from Newcastle to the Gold Coast amid a worsening COVID-19 outbreak in Greater Sydney.
Fearing a major event with a crowd at Newcastle would pose a serious health threat to regional areas in NSW, the state government told the NRL the risk was too great to stage the series finale.
The third match will now be held at Cbus Super Stadium on Wednesday night, marking an extraordinary series in which all three games will be held in Queensland for the first time.
