Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman, Peter V’landys, has said today he is open to holding the NRL grand final in Victoria this year.
The announcement comes after V’landys claims the outgoing NSW Liberal government broke promises over stadium funding last year.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, V’landys told the NSW government “to get the chequebook out” this year otherwise Melbourne will become a serious option for the NRL grand final.
The Chief Executive of Visit Victoria, Brendan McClements, has welcomed V’landys’ interest in Melbourne despite state budgets under growing fiscal pressure.
“Peter also said recently: ‘I haven’t got a deal for the NRL grand final.’ It’s a purely commercial decision. Our phone hasn’t rung. I have got 35,000 more seats for Peter,” McClements told SportNXT conference in Melbourne.
“In a purely commercial decision, that is $4-5 million waiting for him. So, I would like to talk to Peter at some stage about that.”
In response, V’landys told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age: “I would love to hear from Brendan. It could be an option for us.”
The NRL grand final has been played in Sydney in all but one year since 1908, with the 2021 decider moved to Brisbane due to COVID restrictions in NSW.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
