Queensland Reds coach Les Kiss. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Queensland Reds coach Les Kiss says he will support any player who wants to opt out of Sunday's Crusaders match and return home to care for family and property as a cyclone threatens the east coast of Australia.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to land as a category 2 storm early on Friday morning near the Reds' home base of Brisbane, bringing heavy rainfall and potentially life-threatening flash flooding.
The Reds have already arrived in Christchurch for the Super Rugby Pacific match against the Crusaders but Kiss said his team would do what they could to help players return home if necessary.
"Absolutely, we'll do what we can to ensure that any player or any staff member that feels they need to be somewhere, we'll do what we can," Kiss told reporters on a video call from Christchurch on Wednesday.
"With flights ... they're obviously full at the moment.
"But we'll do what we can to help anyone. If we can't do it directly, we'll do it indirectly by getting people back home to ensure we can provide the type of support that's needed."
The cyclone has already disrupted other professional sport competitions in the country, with the Australian Football League postponing two season-opening matches in southeast Queensland this weekend.
The National Rugby League opted to move a match from Brisbane to Sydney, triggering criticism from the wife of Dolphins player Kodi Nikorima.
"Because a game of football is THAT important. Leaving the families behind to ride out the direct line of a cyclone alone, Nikorima's wife Bree posted on social media.
"I'm 6 months pregnant with 2 young kids in an area that can flood. Disgusting.
"Do better @NRL."
Dolphins chief executive Terry Reader said the players were willing to go ahead with the game in Sydney and the club had offered to put their partners and families up in a city hotel in Brisbane.
"Things move really quickly so now it's all about making sure we put those things in place to make sure our players and staff's families feel like they're supported as best we can," he told Australian media.
The cyclone forced organisers to cancel a professional women's golf tournament on the Gold Coast this week. A triathlon event and national championships for touch rugby were also scrapped.
- Reuters
