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NRL premiers Melbourne say they are getting used to the idea they won't be back playing in Victoria until 2022.
Craig Bellamy says the Storm are getting their heads around completing their NRL premiership defence from Queensland, conceding they won't return to Melbourne this season.
Both Bellamy and Melbourne chief executive Justin Rodski said on Wednesday they were resigned to playing the remainder of their home games plus finals in Queensland.
Melbourne's lockdown has been extended for another seven days while crowds won't be permitted anytime soon at AAMI Park, effectively forcing the NRL's hand.
The ladder-leading Storm have been based in Noosa for the past four weeks and are set to remain there until the end of the competition.
Last season they also relocated to Queensland in June and didn't return home en route to the premiership victory.
"I've already got my head around it," Bellamy said ahead of Thursday night's clash with Canberra at Sunshine Coast Stadium, which became their home away from home in 2020.
"I can't see us going back so we'll be staying here and the sooner us as a group get our heads around it, the better off we'll be."
Rodski said it was a massive blow that the team had only played five home games in Melbourne in two seasons.
He said he was working with the NRL and Queensland government to try to get more staff and family members, including Cameron Munster's pregnant partner, into the sunshine state for the remainder of the season.
With NSW battling a spiralling COVID outbreak, Rodski has also been continuing talks about the NRL grand final being played at the MCG.
But he believed Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane would get the nod.
"The likely outcome would be that Suncorp Stadium hosts the grand final," Rodski told SEN radio.
"When you look at potential crowd capacities in Melbourne over the coming months it's seems unlikely that we will get above 50 per cent, so for the NRL to play in front of potentially 100 per cent at Suncorp Stadium I'd say would be the likely outcome now when it comes to the grand final."
Meanwhile Queensland's second-tier Intrust Super Cup and Hastings Deering Colts seasons have been extended by two weeks, with grand finals on October 9-10 in Redcliffe.
Community sport remains on hold in Queensland until at least Monday, August 16.
Providing restrictions are lifted, competition will resume on August 21, with two postponed rounds to follow before a four-week finals series.
