NRL Star’s Wife Slams ‘Disgraceful’ Relocation Move as AFL Ace Confesses He ‘Wouldn’t Have Played’

The spouse of Dolphins athlete Kodi Nikorima has dubbed the NRL’s choice to shift Friday night’s clash with the Rabbitohs from Brisbane to Sydney as “appalling”.

The remarks came after Brisbane AFL star Lachie Neale disclosed that he would have opted not to participate in his team’s season opener against Geelong on Thursday had the match been relocated.

The AFL postponed two fixtures that were intended to be held in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast this week in light of Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaching Queensland’s southern coast.

Contrarily, the NRL decided against postponing its game, opting instead to transfer it from Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium to Sydney’s CommBank Stadium.

The Dolphins are set to face off against the Rabbitohs at 8pm Sydney time, which corresponds to 7pm Queensland time.

While NRL officials preserved the match and sidestepped a scheduling conflict, the decision to displace Queensland’s players and staff away from their loved ones due to the looming and dangerous weather has faced backlash from Bree Nikorima.

The Dolphins player’s wife contended that the governing body didn’t consider the implications of their decision, leaving families to face the extreme and hazardous weather alone.

“Because a game of football is THAT IMPORTANT,” she expressed in a now-deleted Instagram post.

“Leaving families behind to withstand the cyclone’s impact alone—some without any support whatsoever.”

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“I’m six months pregnant with two young kids in a flood-prone area; it’s disgraceful… NRL needs to improve.”

Wide World of Sports reached out to the Dolphins for comments, but the club chose not to respond.

Interestingly, no representatives from the Dolphins were included in a press release on Tuesday announcing the game’s relocation.

The Brisbane Lions were initially due to raise their premiership flag at the Gabba before their encounter with Geelong, but Neale stated that locals were more preoccupied with the approaching storm than the celebratory event.

He expressed satisfaction with the AFL’s decision, adding he would not have participated in the match had it been relocated.

“My initial reaction would have been to abstain from playing; I would have chosen to stay here with Jules and the kids, plus our dog,” the 31-year-old mentioned to Fox Sports.

“Unless they were prepared to arrange for families to be flown as well—which on such short notice might not have been feasible—but if families could have been evacuated and we had sorted out the dog situation, then I would have agreed to it; but leaving Jules [Neale’s wife] here with our three-year-old daughter and 10-week-old son was not an option.”

“I simply wouldn’t have played.”

Numerous other sporting fixtures have felt the impact of the storm, including the rescheduling of the WPGA Championship at the Sanctuary Golf and Country Club in Hope Island.

Neale acknowledged a prominent sense of relief among the players, as they were permitted to remain with their families.

“I think that relief is the predominant feeling here in Brisbane,” he said.

“We were awaiting news about this for a few days, really.

“I didn’t have much information until Sunday when we learned, in our leadership meeting, that a cyclone was approaching and could disrupt the Thursday game. It escalated rapidly from that point.

“Just observing the weather predictions for the forthcoming 48 to 72 hours, I believe the right decision was made, and we’ll stay put for a few days and hope for the best, then assess the damage and move on to Sydney… to the grand final rematch next week.”