Why NZ can’t stage an NRL grand final
signing is scuppered). Eden Park could potentially hold 60,000 fans – more than most alternate Australian venues.
The NRL has to think long and hard, however, before it commits to shifting its showpiece across the Tasman. Promoters cannot afford to wait for the finalists to be decided before fixing where the NRL grand final should be played.
Imagine the logistical nightmares if a Warriors-broncos final was staged in Auckland at a week’s notice?
Bear in mind there is more to grand final day than the Provansummons first grade decider. The under-20 and reserve grade (New South Wales Cup) gold medal games have traditionally been an important part of the occasion too.
If the NRL grand final was shifted to New Zealand, would the curtain-raiser fixtures follow, or would they be split off and played at a smaller Australian venue?
The most important people in this process are the fans of the grand final clubs, who deserve to be at the big gig in their droves.
Would it be fair to expect supporters from two Australian clubs to go to the expense and inconvenience of scurrying to secure tickets to New Zealand seven days after the semifinals?
The Cronulla Sharks, who meet the Melbourne Storm in Sydney on Sunday, have never won a grand final in their 50-year first grade history.
Their long-suffering fans deserve their day in the sun. How many would be pitch-side if Sunday’s game was staged in Auckland?
Part of the undeniable charm of NRL grand final day is watching large swathes of rival fans rubbing shoulders in the stands, adding essential colour to one of sport’s most watchable events.
A NRL grand final in Auckland – unless the Warriors were playing – would basically be a big day out for the corporates with a coterie of Kiwi league enthusiasts and smatterings of supporters of the two grand finalists.
Fifteen of the 16 NRL clubs are based in Australia and the grand final should be held there too.
Fans deserve a chance to travel overland to a grand final.
It’s different for New Zealand supporters – they knew the rules before the Warriors entered the fray. This isn’t a trans-tasman competition, it’s an Australian championship with the Warriors included by invitation- no different, in that regard, to Australia’s A-league football championship featuring the Wellington Phoenix.
If it’s money that most motivates NRL chiefs, their best alternate option is the Melbourne Cricket Ground (capacity 100,020). But would Afl-obsessed Victorians fill the ground?
Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium (52,500) is the logical location, smack-bang in the sport’s spiritual heartland and easily accessible from New South Wales.
So, a NRL grand final in New Zealand? Nice idea, but not fair.
But, one game in a three-match State of Origin series? Now that’s another matter.