Melbourne, Jun 22 (IANS): A match in National Rugby League (NRL) in Australia had to relocated from Melbourne to Sydney due to the increase in coronavirus cases in Victoria.

The Round 7 game between the Melbourne Storm and the New Zealand Warriors was to be held on Friday night at the AAMI Park in Melbourne. However, it will now be played at the Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Sydney.

"The Apollo team made the determination today to ensure the health and safety of the players, staff and wider community given the spike in COVID-19 cases in Victoria," read a statement on the official NRL website.

"The Storm will fly to Sydney later this week to complete preparations. All Storm players and football staff will undergo COVID-19 tests to ensure no risk to the competition prior to Friday night's game," it added.

NRL Acting CEO Andrew Abdo said: "I want to thank the Melbourne Storm players for putting the game ahead of their personal circumstances. What I'm most proud about this year is that every obstacle we have faced the game has banded together to reach an outcome in the best interests of the overall competition,'' he said.

"It was important to take decisive action not only in the best interest of our players and staff, but the broader community. We have shown that if there is even the slightest risk of infection we won't hesitate to reschedule or relocate games," he added.