Rain forces postponement of Origin curtain raiser

Rain has forced the postponement of tonight’s Harvey Norman State of Origin curtain raiser between the NSW under 16s versus QLD under 16s which had been scheduled to kick off at 6.10pm at ANZ Stadium.<br><br>The Harvey Norman State of Origin match will go ahead as scheduled at 8:10pm and the NSW v Queensland Under 16’s game will be rescheduled to the evening of the final 2010 Origin match at ANZ Stadium on July 7. <br><br>Australian Rugby League Chief Executive Officer Mr Geoff Carr said: “It is with disappointing that we have had to make the decision but we had to consider the playing surface for the Harvey Norman Origin match.<br><br>“ANZ Stadium have worked with us to ensure the kids will still have the chance to play on an Origin night by allowing us to play three games on July 7.<br><br>“We understand that parents and family will have come down from Queensland for this game but we simply can’t control the weather.<br><br>“We will look at compensating those immediate family members who have travelled solely to watch the Under 16’s game. Obviously we will need to review their costs and to verify individual situations but we certainly want to help where it is appropriate.”<br><br>Fans are reminded that the despite the postponement of the match that it is still important to arrive at ANZ Stadium early to avoid traffic congestion.<br><br>Public transport costs are included within the Harvey Norman State of Origin ticket price.<br><br>From the moment fans arrive they will be able to sample a ‘Taste of Origin’ with more than 30 Food and Beverage outlets operating within the Sydney Olympic Park precinct.<br><br>The ANZ Stadium Gates open at 5.45pm. The Hoodoo Gurus will perform live ahead of the Harvey Norman State of Origin match, which kicks off at 8:10pm.