The MCG may no longer be home to the 2021 State of Origin series opener on Wednesday June 9.

With a new COVID threat surfacing in Melbourne's north, ARLC Chairman Peter V'Landys said the NRL would be consulting with a number of bio-security experts and would make a decision after taking into account Thursday's case results.

V'Landys told The Sydney Morning Herald "there are a few options but we will wait to see in the next 24 hours to see what occurs, there are six or seven options we could take".

"Every decision weโ€™ve made with COVID, which has proven successful, is to look at the data".

V'Landys placed an emphasis on crowds for State of Origin, adding "there is a strong possibility we might leave it [at the MCG] even if there is a lesser crowd ... but naturally we want crowds for State of Origin".

State of Origin - QLD v NSW: Game 1
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 05: A general view during game one of the 2019 State of Origin series between the Queensland Maroons and the New South Wales Blues at Suncorp Stadium on June 05, 2019 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo also spoke to media on Tuesday, revealing the league had contingency plans in place for such a situation.

"Itโ€™s early days. At this stage, we are monitoring the situation very carefully but if we have to increase the protocols [for players] we will and if we need to consider a contingency plan for where we play Origin I, we will".

"We are looking at several venues [to potentially move Origin I to] but we would have to see a significant increase in the number of community cases and the potential for lockdown in Victoria before we would consider that".

A State of Origin match has never been played in front of less than 16,500 spectators.