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Leadership, experience and accountability are poised to become the determining factors in the most unique race for the NRL title.

Almost 500 players and staff descended on Queensland on Wednesday afternoon, after boarding chartered flights out of NSW and the ACT.

Their stay is tentatively booked for a month, but there is every belief it could last the rest of the season.

It makes the NRL the fifth major domestic competition to be played largely out of hubs in the past year, following the AFL, A-League, BBL and WBBL.

In almost all cases the sides with sound leadership on and off the field took out the titles, with most also having a strong younger group free of family stresses.

Likewise, a Melbourne Storm side led by Cameron Smith and Dale Finucane took out last year's NRL crown after four months in a Sunshine Coast hub.

"You need that (leadership), that's an expectation. And you will find that players will step up into the roles," Manly coach Des Hasler said.

"I think it's the experience too. Most squads have a range of experience across their roster and no doubt they will lean on that."

Hasler has Kangaroos captain and players' union general president Daly Cherry-Evans as his senior leader.

Table-toppers Melbourne remain at home during the outbreak, while Penrith lack the experience of any other sides but their close-knit nature after growing up playing together should help.

Among the other genuine contenders, South Sydney have the likes of Damien Cook and Adam Reynolds to lead them while Parramatta will lean on Clint Gutherson and Mitch Moses.

Sydney Roosters have had the experienced leadership of Boyd Cordner, Jake Friend and Brett Morris ripped from them this year, but still have James Tedesco.

The other key ingredient among most hub winners has been previous prolonged success.

Melbourne's title came after their fourth grand final in five years, with Smith and Craig Bellamy arguably the best leaders in the NRL.

Sydney FC had players' union president Alex Wilkinson as captain for their six weeks in the hub, while now managing director of the APL Danny Townsend was CEO.

Richmond had numerous off-field issues during the AFL hub life, but skipper Trent Cotchin is one of the most experienced and best captains in the game.

Likewise, Tigers' CEO Brendon Gale and president Peggy O'Neal were applauded for their handling of the club's bubble issues en route to a third flag in four years.

And in the Big Bash, Sydney Sixers won a second straight title with senior players Moises Henriques and Dan Christian, while Australia's vice-captain Rachael Haynes led the Thunder to the women's title.

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The Wallabies will play in Canberra for the first time in more than four years when they host Argentina in October as part of the Rugby Championship.

Australia will also face the Pumas at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, in a re-match of their dramatic 15-all draw at the same venue last year.

In other Test matches and venues announced on Wednesday, the Wallabies and world champions South Africa will square off at the SCG on September 12.

The Test will be the Springboks' first overseas Test match since their Rugby World Cup victory in Japan in 2019.

South Africa skipped last year's internationals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The confirmation of the three Tests finalises the Wallabies' domestic schedule with Australia to also take on the All Blacks in Perth on Saturday, August 21 and South Africa on Saturday, September 18 in Brisbane.

Schedule:

New Zealand v Wallabies, Saturday August 7 at Eden Park, Auckland at 5.05pm AEST*

Wallabies v New Zealand, Saturday August 21 at Optus Stadium, Perth at 9.00pm AEST*

New Zealand v Wallabies, Saturday August 28 at Sky Stadium, Wellington at 5.05pm AEST*

South Africa v Wallabies, Sunday September 12 at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney at 3.00pm AEST

Wallabies v South Africa, Saturday September 18 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane at 3.00pm AEST

Wallabies v Argentina, Saturday September 25 at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle at 7.45pm AEST

Argentina v Wallabies, Saturday October 2 at GIO Stadium in Canberra at 8pm AEST

*forms part of the 2021 Bledisloe Cup Series

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The Queensland government will keep the NSW border open, saying the Greater Sydney lockdown is containing the city's COVID-19 outbreak.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles says authorities are closely monitoring the situation, but there's no evidence of virus cases or positive sewage testing results north of Sydney.

He's hopeful the lockdown is containing the virus in Sydney and a hard border won't need to be imposed.

"Pleasingly the ongoing monitoring of sewage indicates that the outbreak there is largely contained to Greater Sydney, meaning that the restrictions in place in Greater Sydney may mean that we don't yet need to put in place greater border restrictions here," he told reporters on Wednesday.

Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia have already closed their borders to NSW, but Queensland is only restricting entry for travellers from Greater Sydney.

Mr Miles said while Sydney's lockdown is containing the outbreak for now, lifting restrictions there too early could cause Queensland to impose a hard border with NSW.

"Obviously if NSW opted to lift those lockdown restrictions, well then we would need to reconsider," he said.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate called for any border closure to ensure traffic flows freely between Tweed Heads in NSW and Coolangatta in Queensland.

That would help protect local jobs and allow residents to use airports, hospitals and schools on both sides of the state line, he said.

The mayor also called for a limited JobKeeper-style payment for border residents impacted by any closure.

Meanwhile, Mr Miles joined the debate on the federal government's financial support to businesses hit by Sydney's lockdown, after the Victorian government slammed it as preferential treatment.

The deputy Queensland premier agreed that NSW was being favoured by the federal government.

"It's somewhat understandable but Scott Morrison feels a bit more responsible for the Sydney outbreak given he urged the premier to delay the lockdown there, and I suspect that's one of the reasons that he's chosen to step in there and provide additional compensation," Mr Miles said.

Five new COVID-19 cases were recorded in hotel quarantine in Queensland on Wednesday, but no further cases emerged in the community after two local cases were recorded on Tuesday.

Initially Ms Palaszczuk said the cases were of no concern, but Queensland Health later issued an alert after finding one had been infectious longer than first thought.

New exposure sites have been listed in Noosa, Kenilworth, Eumundi and Sunshine Beach, including a newsagency, cafe, pharmacy, liquor store and a bakery visited at various times between June 28 and July 1.

Anyone who visited the venues at the times listed on the Queensland Health website is advised to get tested immediately and self-quarantine until a negative result is received.

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Queensland Health has listed seven new coronavirus exposure sites in Brisbane after an unnamed country made contact to report a positive case.

A public health alert has been issued for new contact tracing sites at North Ipswich, Inala and at the Brisbane Airport, but little else is known.

"Queensland Health has been notified by another country that a positive COVID-19 case detected overseas had been in the community prior to departure," Queensland Health said in an alert issued on Wednesday evening.

AAP has asked Queensland Health for more information, including how a case that was detected overseas could have escaped quarantine safety nets in Queensland.

Queensland Health said it could not provide any further detail, and there might be a media conference about the matter on Thursday.

The new sites include Kmart, Vodaphone, Telstra and JB Hi-Fi outlets at the Riverlink shopping centre in North Ipswich between about 12.24pm and 1.10pm on Friday, July 9.

The alert also lists the Brisbane Airport international terminal "Level 3 departures, toilets in hallway near newsagency" on the same day, between 9.45pm and 10.15pm.

Club Services Ipswich between 1.15pm and 2.15pm that day, and Chac's Grill at Inala between 7pm and 8pm that same evening are too listed.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Queensland government said it would keep the NSW border open, saying the Greater Sydney lockdown was containing the city's COVID-19 outbreak.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said authorities were closely monitoring the situation, but there was no evidence of virus cases or positive sewage testing results north of Sydney.

"Pleasingly the ongoing monitoring of sewage indicates that the outbreak there is largely contained to Greater Sydney, meaning that the restrictions in place in Greater Sydney may mean that we don't yet need to put in place greater border restrictions here," he told reporters on Wednesday.

Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia have already closed their borders to NSW, but Queensland is only restricting entry for travellers from Greater Sydney.

Mr Miles said while Sydney's lockdown is containing the outbreak for now, lifting restrictions there too early could cause Queensland to impose a hard border with NSW.

"Obviously if NSW opted to lift those lockdown restrictions, well then we would need to reconsider," he said.

© AAP 2021