SYDNEY - The Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys rugby league teams quarantined nine top players Monday after one of their State of Origin teammates tested positive for swine flu.

The National Rugby League teams decided to isolate all players who had been in contact with Queensland forward Ben Hannant, who caught the virus after representing his state in last week's opening Origin match in Melbourne.

Australian Test skipper Darren Lockyer confirmed he and fellow Broncos-based Origin players Israel Folau, Karmichael Hunt, Sam Thaiday, Justin Hodges and Peter Wallace had been quarantined and given doses of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu.

"Fingers crossed the virus isn't here and it hasn't been spread. I guess we'll just have to wait and see," Lockyer told reporters.

The Cowboys ordered Johnathan Thurston, Luke O'Donnell and Matt Scott into quarantine, while the Gold Coast Titans said they would consider taking similar measures with their Origin stars.

The latest scare comes as Australia's confirmed swine flu toll increased to 1,051, with 874 cases in the southern state of Victoria, where the State of Origin game was played last Wednesday.

Most of Victoria's cases are clustered around the north and west of Melbourne, which was described as "the swine flu capital of the world" in one weekend report, with per capital infection rates the highest on the planet.

Authorities have already raised Victoria's swine flu threat rating from "contain" to "sustain" and have said they may consider banning large-scale public events such as sports matches if infection rates continue to climb.