Fresh push for GF in Brisbane

THE Queensland Government and Suncorp Stadium will launch a fresh bid to steal Sydney’s NRL grand final following the axing of this weekend’s Magic Round in Brisbane.

Government officials are ready to lobby the NRL for the game’s showpiece event after it was moved to October 25.

The shifting of the grand final from October 4 has thrust a shadow over the NRL’s ability to host the game in Sydney, as it is contractually obliged to do as part of a 25-year agreement with the NSW Government.

With Allianz Stadium demolished and ANZ Stadium, the usual grand final venue, set to follow suit from July, the 2020 premiership decider was scheduled to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

But the SCG is slated to host matches for cricket's T20 World Cup from October 24, ruling it out of contention if the tournament avoids being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If the World Cup goes ahead, that leaves the NRL with only one suitable Sydney venue – the 30,000-seat Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta.

If crowds are allowed to attend games by late October the NRL would be robbing more than 20,000 fans the opportunity to attend its 2020 decider and cost itself millions in lost revenue.

Suncorp Stadium manager Alan Graham confirmed Queensland was launching a new bid for the grand final.

“Suncorp Stadium is available on the 25th of October,” he said. “We’d be happy to have some discussions with the NRL about the possibility of having that event here if everything starts to come back to some sort of normality.

“There is some unused funding from the Magic Round that could be used to secure a grand final in its place.”

Travis Meyn