Yes, it’s great to be a Queenslander – but . . .

IT WAS certainly great to be a Queenslander this week, and those Maroons supporters who were lucky enough to be at Suncorp Stadium got to witness first hand an historic win.

I just hope the win helped to alleviate the pain that they would have undoubtedly felt coming from their collective wallet region.

While I wasn’t at the game on Wednesday night, I did attend the Broncos v Dragons match at the same stadium last Sunday.

As if it wasn’t frustrating enough to watch a below par performance from my team, the Dragons, it didn’t help forking over my hard earned for a beer or bite to eat.

The media of late have been pointing to the inflation rate and high cost of living.

Yet, our sporting venues have had an inflation rate problem for about 30 years now.

Every year when my mob venture back down the hill to Brisbane to either the cricket or the footy, our first activity before we take our seats is to check by how much the price of beer has risen since the previous visit.

I can remember when we used to be able to take eskies into the ‘Gabba and sit on the hill with a supply of cold beers and a hot chook to chomp on throughout the day.

Then they banned eskies but at $2 a can, we survived.

But that seems to be long ago and the prices have risen above the rate of inflation since.

How they can these days justify $10.50 for a plastic cup of midstrength beer let alone about $6 for a cup of not so hot chips is anyone’s guess.

It really is no coincidence that I’ve been attending the cricket in Brisbane and elsewhere over the past 20 or more years accompanied by my tax accountant.

He doesn’t have to ask me where my money has gone, he sees me forking it over at the footy or cricket.

I’m not sure how much a seat to the State of Origin cost, but I noticed a seat at the stadium in Perth for Game II was in excess of $300.

Just imagine Mum and Dad taking three kids along to State of Origin these days.

By the end of the night, they’d be taking out a second mortgage on the family home.

So much for the “working man’s game” as it used to be known.

I’m not sure who or what is to blame for the skyrocketing prices at our sporting venues, but I fear it’s not worth even inquiring.

Undoubtedly, stadium officials would just shrug their shoulders and blame the war in Ukraine which is blamed for just about every mishap or catastrophe in the Western World. “Bloody Putin!”

Really, I reckon instead of taking our hard earned, we hapless Dragons supporters should be refunded our entrance fee at least.

After all, if it wasn’t for the Dragons, an understrength Broncos team would have had no-one to humiliate last Sunday which left the Broncos supporters I was accompanying feeling quite chuffed.

I shouldn’t complain (although I will), as I was gifted my ticket to the game last Sunday by friends as it was my birthday.

Not long after the game one of my friends turned to me and said: “Oh listen, they’re singing Happy Birthday to you”.

Of course, it turned out it was Broncos halfback and captain Adam Reynolds’ birthday as well and he was the recipient of the cheery anniversary chorus from the Brisbane crowd.

It’s a long ride home in the cold for a Dragons supporter when you’re in a car full of Broncos.

However, when it’s all said and done, it’s still great to be a Queenslander this week even if my mates still complained about the price of beer and food.

Well, they shouldn’t come to my place to watch the game on TV.

So much for the ‘working man’s game’ as it used to be known.