Melbourne’s return to NRL training is in disarray after Albury council voted that the club can not use the border town’s sporting facilities.
The local council held an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday night after the arrival of 50 Storm players and staff into Albury, with concerns raised about the potential health risk.
The councillors passed a motion that council facilities, including the home of the local rugby league club, Greenfields Park, should not be made available to the NRL club.
With the councillors voting five to four, the Storm will now have to source a privately owned sports ground or move to a completely new location.
Melbourne were set to stay in Albury at least until Friday, with the club saying the visiting party would be completely isolated from the general community.
The plan had NSW government approval but some councillors said it smacked of “double standards” given the restrictions on the general community.