NRL looking at Storm-to-NSW option amid Victoria lockdown

The NRL will on Monday explore whether Storm players and staff need to be relocated to NSW depending on developments in Victoria's latest COVID-19 spike.

Melbourne players and staff have written permission from the Victorian government to train as usual at their AAMI Park base as a professional sporting outfit while the state enters day three of a five-day lockdown.

The Storm won the 2020 premiership while based on the Sunshine Coast due to Melbourne's extensive lockdown last season, and V'landys says the latest COVID-19 outbreak in the Victorian capital has the governing body considering its options.

While the Queensland government closed its borders to Victoria over the weekend, NSW has stayed open to its southern neighbour at this point.

Victoria's Department of Health reported one new locally acquired case of coronavirus and another in hotel quarantine on Monday morning.

Storm football manager Frank Ponissi told NRL.com the club "has contingency plans in place, but no plans to relocate" in the current COVID-19 situation given the team is able to train as normal.

"The club will continue to seek advice from the Victorian government and the NRL to ensure we can prepare for the 2021 season in the best way possible," a Storm update later read.

However, a change in Victoria border situation would prompt the ARLC and Melbourne into action, V'landys told SEN Radio on Monday morning.

NRL and Storm officials are due to conduct a phone hook-up on Monday afternoon to assess the situation.

"There’s a possibility at some point that the New South Wales and Victorian borders may close, and we can’t take that risk," V'landys told SEN.

"We’ve got to be two to three steps ahead, we were last year, and we hope to be again this year.

"We’ve got strategies for all scenarios, we’re ready."

Prior to setting up a base on the Sunshine Coast last year, Melbourne conducted a pre-season camp in the NSW/Victoria border city of Albury.

Victoria's snap lockdown called last Friday saw a mad scramble to get seven Storm stars - including Josh Addo-Carr, Brandon Smith and the Bromwich brothers - out of Melbourne so they could play in Saturday's NRL All Stars clash.

Despite the best efforts of NRL and Storm officials, all seven players were forced to withdraw, while a trial match between Melbourne and the Warriors at Redcliffe on the same day was also cancelled.

The Warriors are scheduled to play a trial match against the Titans at Lismore the following week but are exploring options to split their squad and play another game against Newcastle's NSW Cup side on the same Saturday, February 27 date.

As it stands the Knights February 27 trial against Melbourne at Casey Fields will go ahead pending Victoria's COVID-19 scenario, though that game may also be moved Newcastle if needed.

The Warriors are still slated to stay in Australia for the first four rounds of the Telstra Premiership, with NRL CEO Andrew Abdo labelling their prospective return home to New Zealand in April "a priority".

However, those plans are contingent on a trans-Tasman travel bubble. That arrangement was put on hold by the Australian government on Monday morning as well following the detection of three COVID-19 cases in Auckland over the weekend.

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced a snap lockdown of the city until Wednesday in response to the positive tests.