Revealed: The Queensland plan to host three NRL grand finals
The NRL rejected a Queensland government proposal that would have resulted in the state hosting three grand finals before the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, while still ensuring the majority of deciders remained in Sydney.
The Herald has obtained details of the proposal, put to Rugby League Central last year, which could have resulted in up to $200 million coming into the NRL coffers during a 12-year period. The pitch was for a quadrennial rotation of the grand final, starting in 2023, as follows:
- Year 1 – To be held in Sydney
- Year 2 – To be held in Brisbane
- Year 3 – To be held in Sydney
- Year 4 – NRL to put the event to tender, with Sydney and Brisbane still eligible to be part of the bidding process.
The proposal sought for Brisbane to host the 2024, 2028 and 2031 deciders, with the latter to double as a test event for the Olympics the following year. It was also pitched as a chance for the city to test its infrastructure for the Games, as Sydney did ahead of the 2000 Olympics when a then-record crowd of 104,583 attended a double-header in the Homebush Bay precinct featuring Eels-Dragons and Knights-Sea Eagles on March 6, 1999.
Sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the confidential nature of negotiations, said the Queensland Government was prepared to outlay up to $15 million per grand final, with a commitment to pay the majority of the money upfront.
The plan had enough wiggle room to allow other potential host cities to come in with higher offers once every four years, which could have further filled the NRL’s coffers and potentially brought in as much as $200 million by 2035.
Fans enter Suncorp Stadium for the 2021 grand final.Credit:Getty
The pitch was dubbed by some Queensland officials as the “fan-first grand final strategy”, given it guaranteed the majority of deciders remained in the heartland states. The bid was formally tabled last year, just a year after Suncorp Stadium successfully staged the Panthers-Rabbitohs decider in 2021 to COVID-19. Queensland has also been the host of Magic Round since 2019, a further pointer to the state’s ability to host marquee league events.
However, the NRL decided not to adopt the Queensland grand final initiative.
Subsequently, there has been a change of NSW government after Chris Minns was elected as premier, unseating Dominic Perrottet. The previous Liberal government had allegedly reneged on a $250 million pledge to invest in suburban venues, a move that would have resulted in the grand final remaining in the Harbour City until at least 2046.
Since coming to power, Minns has made it clear he has no plans to invest in stadium upgrades and will instead prioritise spending on health and education. NRL clubs that call Leichhardt Oval, Brookvale Oval and Shark Park home have been agitating for much-needed investment, but Minns has gone on record to say they were not priorities.
“I’d love to do that, but when you consider there’s $200 billion of debt in NSW and we’ve got urgent responsibilities for schools and hospitals, they’ve got to be our priority – that’s why we were elected on Saturday,” Minns told the Today Show last week.
“My message to the people of NSW is that’s got to be the priority for the incoming government.”
A location for the 2023 grand final has yet to be determined. The Herald and Age revealed last week that Melbourne, the home of the AFL, would consider making a play for the showpiece event, although other states are also likely to come forward.
ARLC chairman Peter V’landys has stated that consideration will be given to putting the decider up for a Super Bowl-style auction, in which the highest bidder each year would host it. He has also indicated it is an ambition for rugby league to be considered an Olympic event, via the Nines format, at the 2032 Games.
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