Rabbitohs heartland suffers a BLACKOUT just as the NRL Grand Final kicks off leaving thousands of fans unable to watch the game
Parts of Sydney – including the home of South Sydney Rabbitohs – have been hit by a shock power outage just as their NRL grand final against Penrith Panthers kicked off.
Kingsford, South Coogee, Coogee, Randwick and Maroubra are all reported to be blacked out by the unexpected powercut.
More than 3000 homes are said to be in darkness as Ausgrid tries to fix the problem, but the outage is expected to last until close to full-time at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
It began at 6.30pm on Sunday – just as the pre-show entertainment took to the stage – and is expected to last until at least 9pm, just as the game will be finishing.
An update on the Ausgrid website said the cause was under investigation and technicians were ‘removing hazards and diagnosing network fault’.
The Rabbitohs HQ and shop are based in Kingsford.
By 8pm some fans were reporting their power had been restored in time to catch Souths score their first try to match the Panthers’ early lead and draw level at 6-6.
More to follow