Brisbane firms as grand final host Townsville ruled out

Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium has firmed as the location for the NRL grand final, with Townsville ruled out and a relocation to Sydney highly unlikely in the event of a postponement.

The Australian Rugby League Commission was poised to meet on Friday had Queensland gone into lockdown, but that will no longer be necessary given just three new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the state overnight.

Thousands of ticket-holders will be locked out of Suncorp Stadium after Queensland Public Health Orders reduced capacity to 75 per cent for the NRL showpiece, meaning only 39,000 fans can attend. Townsville’s Queensland Country Bank Stadium had been placed on standby should the game not proceed as planned in Brisbane, but that option has now been ruled out.

ARLC chairman Peter V’landys wouldn’t rule out Sydney as the location for a grand final should it be postponed when speaking on radio on Friday morning. However, that contingency appears unlikely given its contract with the Queensland government, which includes a $4.8 million agreement to stage the event in the state.

Players from both sides are keen for the event to go ahead on Sunday, with most likely to stay in Queensland rather than return immediately to Sydney.

“We’re still quietly confident the Queensland Government is containing [the outbreak],” V’landys told 2GB on Friday morning.

The fate of the grand final will be decided on Friday.Credit:Getty

“They’ve done a wonderful job to date in the way they isolate people and tracking people down, etc. So we’re hoping the numbers stay low and we can go on Sunday, but all options are on the table ...

“We will have an emergency commission meeting to look at all of our options. Postponement is definitely one. We won’t take any action naturally without consulting the coaches and the two teams. But we want a crowd and if it means postponing the event to get a crowd, we will do so.

“When we negotiated with the government we always had a plan B and that was to go to Townsville.

“Logistically that may be hard. We’re going to make a decision on that today because you’ve got to get TV crews and OB [outside broadcast] vans up to Townsville from Brisbane.

“Today will be crucial as well [as] tomorrow. We will be ready for whatever contingencies are thrown our way.”

The NRL, which is beholden to the Queensland government’s health advice, won’t be out of pocket regardless of whether the match is played with or without spectators. The Australian reports that the government is liable for any losses under the terms of the deal struck with Rugby League Central, which requires them to make up the difference should gate takings diminish as a result of playing with a less-than-capacity crowd.

Regardless, the NRL wants the game played in front of fans. One option, although it is highly unlikely, is for Sydney to host the grand final if Queensland is unable to do so.

“As I said, everything is on the table,” V’landys said.

“We will act in the best interests of the fans and players. It’s going to be a hard decision, because naturally when you make these decisions, not everyone agrees with them. We will have to try to please as many people as we can.”

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

Share this post