Brisbane is being pummelled with rain, lives have been taken while further are at risk, and the likelihood of precipitation easing in the coming hours is non-existent according to the experts.
After the battering the east coast of Australia has copped over the last four to five months, the current situation is a reminder of how things can quickly get out of hand and the simple pleasure of watching some footy takes a back seat when homes and businesses suddenly find themselves under water.
This appears to be the case heading into the showpiece that is NRL Magic Round, with all 16 clubs assembled in Brisbane and ready to put on the next edition of a show that has proven to be incredibly successfully since its inception in 2019.
With a vast amount of rain belting the Queensland capital throughout Thursday and a further 40-70 millimetres predicted for Friday, the chances of any entertaining football being played this weekend have slumped to slim to none.
The Knights and Bulldogs will be the guinea pigs in the first fixture of the weekend come the early evening on Friday before the Sea Eagles and Broncos take to Suncorp Stadium for what had loomed as a cracking affair prior to the deluge that is threatening to ruin an entire round of NRL.
While Saturday’s forecast looks slightly better, a predicted 3-10 millimetres of rain will only add to the soppiness of the surface and Sunday looms as a day with another 20 millimetres likely to fall from the heavens.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
In essence, the players will not be having much fun, the fans neither, and the loss of revenue from potential walk-ups to the eight fixtures that extend from Friday dusk until 6.25pm Sunday night when the Tigers and Cowboys face off in the final match of the round is potentially significant.
Queensland’s state government invests generously for the right to host what is still a somewhat new yet popular NRL experiment and there is certainly a place for it on the calendar in theory.
However, the current weather situation in Brisbane warns of the dangers of hosting a swathe of matches in the one city, while fans of clubs in Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra, Melbourne and North Queensland forego a potential home game only to see the match ruined by tumultuous weather.
I must admit to being a little unconvinced by the Magic Round concept when it first became a reality in Australia, yet also noted the joy and excitement it brought to fans when first implemented in 2019.
There seemed to be something in it, despite the fact that my home town of Sydney became something of a rugby league ghost town during the weekend when Brisbane folk and those willing to travel went troppo in the Queensland sun and witnessed match after match on a firm and fast surface.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
The weekend ahead warns of the dangers of investing your chips on a sole number at the roulette wheel and the likelihood is that aside from those brave souls already invested in terms of travel and tickets, hardly an extra one will be keen to venture out in appalling conditions when each and every match is readily available via free-to-air, subscription television or its associated streaming affiliate.
It is a shame and offers no joy to anyone invested in the game of rugby league. Yet it does seem likely that the spectacle on display, the quality of football played and the number of people there to witness the action will be something of a disappointment for the NRL and its broadcasters, as well as its corporate and government partners.
However, this is the risk you take by scheduling eight matches at the same venue across three days, while the Bulldogs, Sea Eagles, Warriors, Storm, Sharks, Roosters and Tigers could all have hosted matches this weekend in what looks likely to be excellent conditions for rugby league at their home bases.
It is a shame, yet a Magic Round situation that was destined to play out at some point.
var request = new XMLHttpRequest();
request.open('POST', '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php', true); request.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded;'); request.onload = function () { if (this.status >= 200 && this.status
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
1984 Origin two Greg Dowling off the cross bar to score and secure the series again for Qld https://www.facebook.com/nrl/videos/1984-some-wally-lewis-magic-sees-greg-dowling-score-under-the-sticksthrowbackthu/10154790818443074/
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
mate imagine being on the end of one of Tamati's thunderous right hands
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
mate with the leather balls that weighed a ton when wet & slippery as.
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
Yesterday I mentioned Central Coast council and grounds . After looking out the window and seeing sunshine they have decided to postpone tomorrow's round 4 . Doing well 4 rounds in they've postponed 2-3 times .
Simonc
Guest
Yup and we only got 24mm to 9am. Bloody near dry compared to the last week. And only bleak drizzle to contend with since 9am. Good TV watching weather!
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
She is spending it at the Gabba (AFL)
Coastyboi
Guest
Rain in Brisbane for the next few days. Big ol’ thunderstorms rolling in by Sunday. Better telephone Don Burke.
ozziedude
Roar Rookie
Its a good concept and despite the wet thered be plenty of entertainment up there.. wish i coulda gone but next time
Me
Guest
Can't wait to see all the sookery next week regarding injuries from this fiasco will be sure to look for all names above and remind you
Succhi
Roar Rookie
I like the concept of Magic Round - but just too much stress to put on one ground/venue over a short period. Needs another ground within a short distance or maybe push it to a 4 day event?
Paul D
Roar Guru
So we should never organise this again because it might rain? Honestly Stuart, it's May for chrissake. I'm used to this argument being mounted around cricket time as to why day/night tests in Brisbane are a bad idea (it starts raining in the afternoon, duh) but there's no history of lotsa rain in May so I'd just say heaven forbid the NRL is a tad unlucky. I seem to recall a game being played in Perth one year between Broncos and Souths famous for a bomb dive by I think Rhys Wesser after a kick from John Sutton stopped in the ingoals in a large puddle of water on the field. Wet weather footy can be engrossing. Suck it up for a weekend you'll be fine.
Monorchid
Roar Rookie
I think that ST has a point. I live about a 1 hour drive to Suncorp from the north side. We've had 202mm of rain here over the last 3 days according to my rain gauge. Yes, I know that's not near Suncorp. The nearest I got today was Newmarket and it was very wet there. Suncorp's drainage is very good. It has to be. Most of us know that Lang Park was once a graveyard. But it was always a swamp. A special open drain was originally built along, I think, the western side. A pipe was later plonked into the open drain to direct water to the nearby Brisbane River. That's why the ground floods so easily. When I was a young boy about 60 years ago, I can still recall that it was almost impossible to recognise players' jerseys on wet days because of the mud. Now the drainage is much, much better. But the ground can get chopped up in prolonged wet weather with so much use over a short time. It's happened before. The football will still be great - it'll just be different. But injury to players, as others have pointed out, may be an issue. Regardless, hopefully my Broncos will prevail over Manly. No wet blankets please.
TheFireFighterOfAntarctica
Roar Rookie
Is there money in the Olympics' budget for a retractable roof at Suncorp?
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
Take a bex and have a lay down 100mm over 2 or 3 days ? Last flood we had 800mm in 24 hours Robina and Redcliffe are both ready to go and less than an hour from Lang Park If you do not like magic round just say it No need to try and dramatize with statements alluding to possible loss if life
Sammy
Guest
I think Magic Round belongs in Brisbane for another 10 years atleast. After that, I'd be happy to see Canberra or Melbourne host Magic Round (providing that the ACT builds the proposed Civic Stadium with a Roof). The Qld Government will need to consider a Roof for Suncorp Stadium, otherwise the Victorian Government will surely step up and offer Docklands / Etihad as a better choice with less risk.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
You are a cruel, cruel man.
Redcap
Roar Guru
It's quite literally coming in sideways here at Oxley, not far from Lang Park. Tonight could be a bit ugly and, yes, conditions could easily deteriorate over the course of the weekend. It behooves me to offer a solution: they could always shift games to my local watering hole: Lions Stadium at Richlands. It might lack certain amenities, but the beer is cold and the food is vastly superior to the slop on offer at Lang Park. Peking duck spring rolls and porcetta anybody.
Womblat
Guest
Sooks come last. Every time. Enjoy your seventy fifth spot on the podium.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
The playing surface should handle it as it isn’t a cricket ground but Stuart makes a good point. The game will have less creative ball play and more bash and barge than usual. The bomb will be the easiest way to score a try and the best way to watch the games will be on TV.
Fraser
Roar Rookie
We have been copping it pretty badly for the past 3 hours. Check out the BOM Radar. Not looking like a pleasant evening to be sitting in Row 7 :unhappy: