Triple Eight brings AGP departure forward amid weather

Triple Eight Race Engineering has brought forward its departure to Melbourne early amid the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

Queensland-based Supercars teams have been monitoring the approaching weather system, which was initially set to hit on Thursday.

However, latest forecasts show the wild weather is now set to arrive on Saturday morning.

South-east Queensland and northern New South Wales are bracing for Cyclone Alfred to make landfall, with gusts exceeding 130km/h and heavy rainfall expected.

Triple Eight is based in Brisbane, while Dick Johnson Racing, Matt Stone Racing and PremiAir Racing are all based on the Gold Coast.

Teams had been planning to have transported packed and ready for departure to Melbourne on Sunday, but Triple Eight has elected to leave on Thursday afternoon.

DJR, MSR and PremiAir are all completing their transporter packs and working towards a weekend departure.

Supercars transporters are scheduled to bump-in at the Albert Park paddock area on Tuesday, before track action commences on Thursday.

Triple Eight boss Jamie Whincup has already withdrawn from this weekend's Race Of Champions in Sydney to remain with family as the weather approaches.

Whincup was replaced by DJR star Brodie Kostecki, who will partner Will Brown in Team Australia Supercars.

Two AFL Opening Round matches scheduled for Queensland this weekend been postponed.

The NRL also confirmed Friday night's game between the Dolphins and South Sydney Rabbitohs would be relocated from Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium to Parramatta's CommBank Stadium.