NRL CEO Dave Smith backflips on Sydney stadium stance, writes Phil Rothfield
Phil Rothfield Sports Editor-at-large
The Daily Telegraph
March 02, 2015 12:00AM
THE Sydney stadium debate has now descended into a total farce.
NRL boss Dave Smith says he now wants to duplicate his New York ice hockey experience of sellout crowds at Sydney rugby league games in small stadiums.
This is the same man who spent $750,000 of NRL money last year on a feasibility study to build a new a $1 billion 65,000-seat stadium at Moore Park.
Insiders tell me state government plans to spend a combined $600 million on ANZ, Allianz and Pirtek stadiums are gridlocked, largely because of Smith’s uncertainty.
His scheme was to have six clubs playing out of Allianz, based on the AFL’s Melbourne model.
This far-fetched idea requires the Olympic stadium to be bulldozed, something that the government can’t do to the people of Sydney’s west and the fact we don’t all live in Bellevue Hill, Rose Bay or Woollahra.
Watching with growing concern are the Wanderers and Eels, who thought Pirtek Stadium would be first cab off the rank in the stadium upgrades.
Western Sydney fans deserve world-class facilities and with plenty of swinging seats up for grabs at the state election next month, how hard is it to make this decision?
Whichever way it goes, the stadium funding will create a massive reaction.
Particularly if the SCG trust gets the money to knock down old Allianz and replace it with a 65,000-seater.
Under this model, the fans of six Sydney-based clubs will be forced to abandon their traditional home grounds to play at Moore Park. In lobbying the state government, Smith has said the NRL will play at least three and possibly four games every weekend at the venue.
Can you imagine Manly Sea Eagles fans wanting to cross the Spit Bridge instead of having a home game at Brookvale on a beautiful Sunday afternoon? (Their semi-final crowds have been terrible for years.)
Or Sharks fans leaving the shire for the eastern suburbs to put up with the traffic snarls and parking hassles. I’d be passing on that.
St George Illawarra, the Wests Tigers, the Rabbitohs and the Roosters would also be playing out of the new 65,000-seater.
I’m not sure how the people of Campbelltown will appreciate the 57.6km trek into town to watch their Tigers play. Or the 84.2km Wollongong-based Dragons fans would face for home matches.
The NRL also wants to play Origins and grand finals at Moore Park if the government funds the new stadium — a not-so-bright idea that would lock 20,000 fans out of our biggest games of the year.
While the AFL’s Melbourne stadiums model has worked and substantially increased crowds since the glorious old Windy Hill, Arden St and Glenferrie Oval days, Sydney has a totally different sporting landscape.
Melbourne has much better transport and access to the MCG and Etihad.
They also have little else to do on their weekends while we’ve got the Harbour, Opera House, beaches and Blue Mountains.
Plus the big population growth is in the western suburbs.
You just can’t compare the two cities and the way fans want to consume their weekend sport.
Last week the Baird government promised to spend more than $350 million on the Opera House and the Walsh Bay arts precinct. Now it’s the turn for sports fans.
The choice is to share the money between ANZ, Allianz and Pirtek for much-needed modernisation of all three venues.
Or scrap that plan altogether and spend the money on traditional old grounds, which would give Dave Smith his ice-hockey experience in the suburbs.
Actions speak louder than words
COMMISSION chairman John Grant has a short memory, judging by his statements
on Friday about the NRL’s stance on misbehaving players.
“We have been clear we won’t accept the actions of those who bring this game into disrepute and will take an increasingly hard line on this,” Grant said. Just like last season when Kirisome Auva’a was inexplicably allowed to play the entire season despite pleading guilty to domestic violence in a vicious assault of his ex-girlfriend.
No wonder polls showed last year Grant had a 10 per cent approval rating with fans.
HIGHLIGHT
A SENSATIONAL A-League Sydney Derby on Saturday night. The jet-lagged Wanderers were gone, trailing 3-nil after 20 minutes. Somehow they clawed back to 3-all before Sydney FC got the winner. An absolutely wonderful game of soccer.
LOWLIGHT
THE fact Mitchell Starc’s 6-28 went to waste because of an inept Aussie batting performance against the Kiwis.
CLEAR AS MUD
SO Shane Richardson starts at the NRL today and has been cleared of any wrong doing in the South Sydney Rabbitohs Arizona scandal. So sadly, twice lying to the media in saying that nothing happened, is considered acceptable behaviour of NRL executives.
HARD SELL
IT takes time to earn your stripes among the heavyweights at the NRL clubs.
One new kid on the block is desperately trying to make a big impression with the chairmen, sending out an email to organise a cosy group dinner and get together on the eve of the kick-off. Everyone I spoke to hit the decline button.
GAL’S GIRL
TIMING is everything in rugby league. On their last free footy weekend for seven months, Paul Gallen’s wife Anne gave birth to the couple’s third child on Friday afternoon — a little girl Macy Maree. Gal had to rush from training to make it to the hospital just in time.
KNICK OF TIME
ONE lucky punter was celebrating long and hard over the weekend after turning $5 into $216,000 with a 13-leg multi on Sportsbet. It included the New York Knicks coming back from 15 points down to win in double overtime in the NBA.
KEEP IT TWEET
FROM next Monday we’ll be publishing the best and most humorous tweets from the weekend round in this column. Two rules — you have to use the hashtag #mondaybuzz and keep it clean. There will be a prize of dinner for two at the King Wan at the end of the season for the Sally M Tweet of the Year.
