Victoria in bold bid to host NRL Grand Final

[JonnoM]

Victoria in bold bid to host NRL Grand Final
30 minutes ago
PETER ROLFEsports affairs reporterHerald Sun

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vi...l/news-story/0a1ec2a2ddce70f7167f0b236e3ab8b4


VICTORIA will launch a bold bid to steal the NRL Grand Final in its latest assault on Australia’s major events calendar.

The Andrews Government has confirmed it will tackle Sydney for the right to host rugby league’s premiership decider when the stadium that typically hosts the NRL showpiece is redeveloped.

NRL officials will arrive in Melbourne tomorrow for a meeting with the government with a Grand Final and future State of Origin matches at the MCG to be discussed.

The NSW Government has struck a deal to see the NRL Grand Final played in Sydney for 20 years once a revamp of ANZ Stadium is complete.

But with a major redevelopment of Sydney’s second rate stadiums to start soon and expected to take years to complete, Victorian Sports Minister John Eren said Melbourne would pounce.

“The top sporting blockbusters belong in the city that does them best – and our record is unrivalled,’’ he said.


The bold bid would see the game hosted at the MCG. Pictures: Tim Carrafa
With Sydney long the poor cousin to Melbourne’s world-class stadium precinct, NSW Premier Mike Baird yesterday detailed a $1.6 billion plan to modernise sporting facilities in the harbour city.

ANZ Stadium, home to the NRL Grand Final at Homebush in Sydney’s west, will be transformed into a 70,000 seat rectangular stadium.

Construction of a new 30,000 seat venue at Parramatta will start at the end of this NRL season.

Allianz Stadium - Sydney Football Stadium - will also be upgraded.

Mr Eren said none of the stadium would compare with Melbourne but that would not stop the city trying to hijack the NRL Grand Final from rugby league’s heartland.

“There’s no better place for an NRL grand final than Melbourne,’’ Mr Eren said.

“Mike Baird had to come to Melbourne to see an NRL game attract a 90,000 crowd and we could do it all again this afternoon.

“All we need are the goalposts.”

If lured to Victoria from its Sydney stranglehold, the NRL Grand Final would almost certainly be staged at the MCG.

Victorians helped create history when an all-time NRL State of Origin crowd of 91,513 fans packed the MCG last year for State of Origin 2.

A Victorian Government source said it would consider funding the NRL Grand Final bid ``based on its merits’’ and according to its ``economic benefits to the state’’.

It is expected tens of thousands of sporting tourists from NSW and Queensland would visit Melbourne if the NRL Grand Final was staged in the city.

The NSW Government has tried and failed to steal Melbourne’s Formula One Grand Prix, Australian Open tennis Championships and the MotoGP at Phillip Island.

peter.rolfe@news.com.au

 

[applesauce]

Honestly it would be cool if one of the 4 years ANZ is under construction they took it to Melbourne on the same weekend as the AFL GF. AFL Saturday and NRL Sunday in the one city/stadium would be a fun weekend away!

 

[LESStar58]

This is just a thinly veiled Melbourne vs. Sydney puff piece that some people down here take waaaaaaaaay too seriously. Look at the nuffie writing it.

 

[Twizzle]

Makes about as much sense as Sydney hosting the AFL Grand Final

 

[muzby]

oh f**k no.

as much as i'd love to have the grand final down here, the MCG is a shocking place to watch league from.. too much room between the seats and the action..

 

[LESStar58]

Makes about as much sense as Sydney hosting the AFL Grand Final

Difference being that the AFL would take the GF to Sydney if it meant nothing but positives for the game.

 

[Saint Doc]

If ANZ was out of action for 3 years, it would make so much sense to rotate between Suncorp, Eden Park and MCG

 

[Timbo]

I think it's a fair chance - 100,000 seat stadium is hard to pass up. Suncorp at 52,000 was built too small.

I didn't even consider Eden Park. It can hold 61,000 and would be a fine option as well.

 

[BunniesMan]

Melbourne is Australia's cultural and sporting capital. It has geographic and infrastructure assets that Sydney cannot dream to have unless it levels the entire city and rebuilds from scratch.

The CBD in Sydney is in a terrible place in terms of geography and that ruins the entire road and public transport system. The CBD is the business centre, Parramatta is the geographic centre, the harbour gets in the way, and so you have stadiums in different parts of the city, arterial roads going in the different inefficient directions, public transport having to be built haphazardly.

Basically Sydney is a mess because it was settled in a disorganized way and mistakes have kept being made on top of previous mistakes. Melbourne is a planned city, it is better in every objective way.

That is why Melbourne's population is on pace to surpass Sydney again (like it was before WW2) and Melbourne will once again become Australia's number 1 city.

The NRL grand final should be here ASAP.

 

[Dr Crane]

How is it bold? With ANZ out of action it seems pretty bloody sensible.

 

[Eion]

Give to brissy FFS. Big whoop, the MCG holds more people. 52K is OK and those toothless merkins up there deserve it.

 

[GongPanther]

With this latest news in regards to the Olympic Stadium being refurbished,the NRL Grand Finals will be staying in Sydney for the next 20 years.As quoted from Todd Greenburgh on tonight's NRL 360.

 

[Pommy]

Does anyone actually know if ANZ is going to be out of commission for 3 years yet? As its a refurbishment and only used at capacity 2/3 times a year it maybe able to continue hosting games.

 

[BlueandGold]

Give to brissy FFS. Big whoop, the MCG holds more people. 52K is OK and those toothless merkins up there deserve it.

I agree, give it to the State (QLD) that actually cares about the game.

 

[BunniesMan]

I agree, give it to the State (QLD) that actually cares about the game.

If Origin can go to Melbourne than so can a grand final. In fact it makes more sense for a grand final to go than Origin. Origin is strictly NSW v Queensland and IMO should always be there, grand finals involve clubs from all over the place and it is a more natural fit for a neutral location.

 

[Desert Qlder]

I think it's a fair chance - 100,000 seat stadium is hard to pass up. Suncorp at 52,000 was built too small.

I didn't even consider Eden Park. It can hold 61,000 and would be a fine option as well.

If 52k is too small and 61k is fine, what is your arbitrary cutoff for seating capacity for Grand Finals?

 

[Perth Red]

Give one to Brisbane and auction the other two off.

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

Melbourne is Australia's cultural and sporting capital. It has geographic and infrastructure assets that Sydney cannot dream to have unless it levels the entire city and rebuilds from scratch.

The CBD in Sydney is in a terrible place in terms of geography and that ruins the entire road and public transport system. The CBD is the business centre, Parramatta is the geographic centre, the harbour gets in the way, and so you have stadiums in different parts of the city, arterial roads going in the different inefficient directions, public transport having to be built haphazardly.

Basically Sydney is a mess because it was settled in a disorganized way and mistakes have kept being made on top of previous mistakes. Melbourne is a planned city, it is better in every objective way.

That is why Melbourne's population is on pace to surpass Sydney again (like it was before WW2) and Melbourne will once again become Australia's number 1 city.

The NRL grand final should be here ASAP.

Where? Coffs?

Nice to see you've been conned into the Melbourne mindset of insularity.

 

[Timbo]

If 52k is too small and 61k is fine, what is your arbitrary cutoff for seating capacity for Grand Finals?

I think 61 is bigger than 52, and 100 is bigger still.

The point I was driving at is that of the major cities with an actual rugby league pedegree, Auckland has the biggest stadium in the absence of ANZ.

 

[Perth Red]

Well considering the origin crowd record is held by Melbourne I am not sure RL "pedigree" is all that relevant. Surely it is about making money and filling seats? If you can use it as a vehicle to grow awareness and interest in RL at the same time even better.