'Not taking any risk': NRL match postponed over virus scare

The NRL have taken the sensational step of postponing Canterbury's match against the Sydney Roosters until Monday night following a coronavirus scare.

Canterbury forward Aiden Tolman was notified on Saturday night a teacher at his child's school had tested positive to the virus.

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The Laguna Street Public School in Sydney's south has been closed until June 25, with a warning there's a possibility children may have brought the virus home.

Tolman underwent an urgent coronavirus test, which has since come back negative.

The NRL were not willing to risk having a positive test returned just hours before kick-off, throwing the schedule into chaos, so they postponed the match.

The Bulldogs-Roosters game has now been moved to 7pm on Monday, while Sunday’s St George Illawarra v Cronulla match at Campbelltown has been brought forward to start at 4pm instead of 6pm.

“We're rapidly testing that player (Tolman) as we speak. We believe the risk is minimal, but we're not going to take the risk,” ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys told AAP.

“The message is we're not taking any risk with our players, or the community. Even though the risk is very low, the risk is not worth taking.

“We've shifted the match to tomorrow night to 7pm, and taken the St George Illawarra-Cronulla match to 4pm this afternoon.”

At this stage Tolman is the only Canterbury player being tested, given his negative result means there is no risk to any other teammate.

The match is the first to be affected by the virus since the NRL's resumption last month.

NRL fans allowed back at stadiums on July 1

Meanwhile, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed the state's NRL stadiums seating a maximum 40,000 people will be allowed to operate at a 25 per cent capacity from July 1.

The announcement comes just days after the federal government ticked off on crowds of up to 10,000 people social distancing in stadiums.

“The community has worked incredibly hard over the past few months which has allowed us to be where we are today,” Berejiklian said on Sunday.

with Yahoo Sports Staff