The Dragons and the Roosters would have been required to finish their Anzac Day clash within 24 hours had match officials deemed it unsafe to complete the game on Saturday.
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Under the NRL rules, any game which is postponed because of safety concerns must be played within 24 hours, preferably at the same venue.
An NRL spokesman confirmed the match would have continued from the 27th minute with the Dragons leading 10-0. If the surface at Allianz Stadium was unplayable, or the venue was pre-booked, the NRL would have had to have sourced an alternative ground. Despite the fixture being a Roosters home game, the game could have been completed at Kogarah Oval or any other venue in Sydney. While Sydney has an abundance of grounds available – this scenario would become even more problematic at an isolated venue such as Newcastle or Townsville.
As it was, the match was able to continue despite being delayed for 30 minutes on Saturday afternoon, which forced St George Illawarra players to "rug up" in the cold as spectators began running for shelter.
Referee Gerard Sutton halted play as hail stones rained down on the players and lightning flashed around Allianz Stadium.
St George Illawarra rookie centre Euan Atiken said it was a surreal experience, with the Dragons finishing 14-12 winners. "It was different, I still wanted to keep playing and I think a lot of the boys in our sheds wanted to keep playing," Aitken said.
"I suppose the conditions didn't let that happen. It was a different game, I have never been a part of a game where it gets stopped and started again but it was good to get the win in the end."
The match was halted after 21mm of rain fell on the stadium, flooding the bench area on the sideline and the tunnel to the field, and before the players ran out for a five-minute warm-up. Rival coaches Trent Robinson and Paul McGregor agreed to a shortened eight-minute halftime.
Aitken said there was confusion about when play would resume. "We weren't too sure how long we were going to have in the sheds," Aitken said. "Then we got a few calls that it might be soon but all of our bodies just got real cool and it actually started to be really cold so everyone rugged up and started moving around to try and keep warm."
Stoppages for weather are rarely seen in the NRL. However, in 2009, Darren Lockyer's 300th NRL game for the Broncos was extended against Newcastle which saw a 35-minute half-time break because of lightning strikes, thunder and heavy rain. Play resumed and the Knights won 28-12.
