NRL grand final to stay in Sydney

The NRL grand final will remain in Sydney after fraught negotiations between the NSW government and Australian Rugby League Commission kept the match at Accor Stadium.

Just weeks after ARLC boss Peter V’landys lashed NSW premier Dominic Perrottet for reneging on an undertaking to provide $300 million worth of stadium funding to suburban grounds at Manly, Leichhardt and Cronulla, the NRL has confirmed its showpiece game will be played at Accor Stadium on October 2.

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk made a bold bid to bring the decider back to Queensland – Suncorp Stadium hosted it last year due to COVID-19 border closures – but couldn’t prise it away from NSW.

Tickets are expected to go on sale for the match in the coming days.

The decision comes after a tense meeting between V’landys and his fellow ARLC directors on Wednesday night, which followed negotiations with sports minister Alister Henskens over broken promises for Sydney’s stadia upgrade.

V’landys believed he had a handshake agreement with Perrottet to fund upgrades to Brookvale’s 4 Pines Park, Leichhardt Oval and Cronulla’s PointsBet Stadium in return for the government walking away from its $800 million redevelopment of Accor Stadium.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, left, and NRL boss Peter V’landys.Credit:SMH/Getty

But Perrottet said the funds would be used to prioritise the state’s flood relief package, particularly in the northern rivers of the state.

It had left V’landys and NRL clubs fuming, and the prospect of the NRL grand final being taken out of Sydney for just the second time in its history.

The new $800 million Allianz Stadium will open with a double-header next month when the Roosters and Dragons play an NRLW match. Fierce rivals the Roosters and Rabbitohs will then play a men’s match in the final round of the regular season.

More to come

Stream the NRL Premiership 2022 live and free on 9Now.

Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.

Most Viewed in Sport

From our partners

Source: Read Full Article