BiggerD
So the NRL want to play the Grand Final in front of a big crowd and where impressed by the turnout in the Bledisloe yesterday at Eden Park.
Do you think the locals would turn up if for example it was a Storm vs Penrith GF ?
www.smh.com.au
The NRL will consider moving the grand final to New Zealand after watching the Wallabies play the All Blacks in front of a huge crowd at Eden Park in Auckland.
Desperate to play the biggest game of the season in front of a crowd, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo confirmed to the Herald he would investigate the idea because of the volatile COVID-19 infection rate in Australia’s eastern states.
A near-capacity crowd of 47,000 on Saturday night attended the Bledisloe Cup match, which the All Blacks won 33-25. The second match will be played at the same venue this Saturday with a similar turnout expected.
The NRL will make a definitive call on the location of its grand final at the start of the finals series.
Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium remains the preferred location, and its chances of holding match firmed after it was announced on Sunday morning the city’s lockdown was being lifted.
But Abdo said the sight of a near full house attending the Bledisloe Cup had given the NRL “food for thought”.
“An opportunity to play under an exemption in New Zealand, in front of a full house, is an option if we can’t play elsewhere in Australia,” he said. “Saturday night’s match [between the Wallabies and All Blacks] means we have a precedent in terms of getting an exemption from the New Zealand government. Those exemptions are based on economic impact and the grand final would qualify for that.”
The smart money remains on Brisbane hosting the event, given the NRL has relocated the entire competition to south-east Queensland because of the worsening COVID situation in Sydney and other parts of NSW.
There is a push for the decider to be played at the MCG, with Storm chairman Matt Tripp and part-owner Bart Campbell trying to pull off a coup behind the scenes.
While Optus Stadium in Perth is also a valid option and has recently hosted a State of Origin match, Auckland is preferable because, as the home of the Warriors, it is an active rugby league market.
The NRL hopes to offset the millions of dollars spent on relocating teams to Queensland by selling the grand final to the highest bidder.
To do that, though, it needs a venue that can host spectators.
On Friday, New Zealand reported just two new cases of COVID-19 infection, with none in the community.
Nevertheless, relocating just one match to Auckland would be problematic.
The New Zealand government gave the Wallabies an exemption to travel to the country without having to quarantine for 14 days after suspending the travel bubble between the two countries for eight weeks.
If the NRL was to play the match in New Zealand, it would require a similar exemption because a 14-day quarantine wouldn’t be possible for two grand final teams.
“We’re not ruling anything out at this point,” Abdo said. “You want the grand final to be played in front of a crowd, giving fans an opportunity to watch the climax to the season live.
“But we genuinely can’t answer where it will be played until we have a clearer picture of the infection rates in each market and whichever government’s relevant policy at the time.”
Do you think the locals would turn up if for example it was a Storm vs Penrith GF ?
NRL investigates moving grand final to New Zealand
A near capacity crowd at Eden Park for the Bledisloe Cup match on Saturday night has given rugby league powerbroker “food for thought”.
The NRL will consider moving the grand final to New Zealand after watching the Wallabies play the All Blacks in front of a huge crowd at Eden Park in Auckland.
Desperate to play the biggest game of the season in front of a crowd, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo confirmed to the Herald he would investigate the idea because of the volatile COVID-19 infection rate in Australia’s eastern states.
A near-capacity crowd of 47,000 on Saturday night attended the Bledisloe Cup match, which the All Blacks won 33-25. The second match will be played at the same venue this Saturday with a similar turnout expected.
The NRL will make a definitive call on the location of its grand final at the start of the finals series.
Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium remains the preferred location, and its chances of holding match firmed after it was announced on Sunday morning the city’s lockdown was being lifted.
But Abdo said the sight of a near full house attending the Bledisloe Cup had given the NRL “food for thought”.
“An opportunity to play under an exemption in New Zealand, in front of a full house, is an option if we can’t play elsewhere in Australia,” he said. “Saturday night’s match [between the Wallabies and All Blacks] means we have a precedent in terms of getting an exemption from the New Zealand government. Those exemptions are based on economic impact and the grand final would qualify for that.”
The smart money remains on Brisbane hosting the event, given the NRL has relocated the entire competition to south-east Queensland because of the worsening COVID situation in Sydney and other parts of NSW.
There is a push for the decider to be played at the MCG, with Storm chairman Matt Tripp and part-owner Bart Campbell trying to pull off a coup behind the scenes.
While Optus Stadium in Perth is also a valid option and has recently hosted a State of Origin match, Auckland is preferable because, as the home of the Warriors, it is an active rugby league market.
The NRL hopes to offset the millions of dollars spent on relocating teams to Queensland by selling the grand final to the highest bidder.
To do that, though, it needs a venue that can host spectators.
On Friday, New Zealand reported just two new cases of COVID-19 infection, with none in the community.
Nevertheless, relocating just one match to Auckland would be problematic.
The New Zealand government gave the Wallabies an exemption to travel to the country without having to quarantine for 14 days after suspending the travel bubble between the two countries for eight weeks.
If the NRL was to play the match in New Zealand, it would require a similar exemption because a 14-day quarantine wouldn’t be possible for two grand final teams.
“We’re not ruling anything out at this point,” Abdo said. “You want the grand final to be played in front of a crowd, giving fans an opportunity to watch the climax to the season live.
“But we genuinely can’t answer where it will be played until we have a clearer picture of the infection rates in each market and whichever government’s relevant policy at the time.”
