South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett has leapt to the defence of the NRL amid criticism over relocating Friday night’s game.

The league opted to move the Dolphins’ game against South Sydney on Friday night as Tropical Cyclone Alfred bears down on southern Queensland.

It prompted Kodi Nikorima’s wife Bree to swipe head office over what she labelled the “disgusting” decision to take players and staff away from their homes and families in the face of a natural disaster.

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Up to five Dolphins players are reportedly staying home in Queensland as their teammates fly south to play the game.

Speaking at his press conference on Thursday, Bennett took the opportunity to defend the NRL.

“If it had been called off… you media, if we called it off you would find fault with us, if we put it on you find fault with us,” Bennett said.

“No, they’ve done the right thing.

“It’s important, (the game) is important to everybody involved in the game, the fans, the TV stations, all the people that support the game.

“We go back there and play our home game (in Brisbane) later in the year, so it works out for them as well. I think it’s a great decision.”

The Rabbitohs will face a Dolphins side missing players including Nikorima, Mark Nicholls, and Kenny Bromwich.

Bennett wouldn’t be drawn on Bree Nikorima’s comments or the depleted opposition he used to coach.

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“I’m not sure about that… that’s a Dolphins issue, it’s not one that we have, so they’ll have to handle that,” he said.

“They’ll handle it, they got on a plane yesterday, they’ve got 17 guys who will be keen as anything to play.

“They are a wonderful club, I was proud of my time there with them, and they will do their best with whatever they put on the field.”

Earlier on Thursday, AFL legend Matthew Lloyd took a subtle swipe at the NRL as pressure mounts on the rugby league body over the decision to relocate Friday’s round one game.

The game was slated to be played at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, but the capital city could be hit by the extreme weather event over the next 48 hours.

The AFL postponed two of its Opening Round games in Brisbane and Gold Coast due to the cyclone, but the NRL instead opted to relocate its Friday night game to Sydney.

The Dolphins have now offered to put families in a Brisbane hotel to ride out the emergency if they desire.

“We understand here that there are bigger things at play and football is very secondary this morning,” Lloyd told Nine’s Today.

Asked if the postponement would give one team an advantage when the games are eventually played, Lloyd replied, “Everyone is in the same boat, so I don’t think it will affect the sides too much”.

Dolphins player Kodi Nikorima has opted to stay behind in Queensland after his wife took to Instagram to lambast the NRL for relocating the game rather than postponing it.

“Everyone feels apprehensive,” Dolphins CEO Terry Reader said on Wednesday.

“Players’ partners, staff partners – we’re making sure we do whatever we can to make people feel more comfortable and put people’s minds at ease.”

Broncos great Sam Thaiday doesn’t blame the players who have decided to stay home and help out.

“It’s a little bit of calm before the storm at the moment,” Thaiday told Today.

“Just the uncertainty around what this cyclone is going to do has forced some of those Dolphins players to reconsider and stay home with some of their family members.

“A little bit of an interruption here in Queensland.”

A depleted Dolphins side will now take on the Rabbitohs in Sydney on Friday night.