NRL grand final: Bitter legal stoush as tense negotiations end in stand-off

Peter Beattie is preparing to swoop in to bid for a Queensland-hosted grand final, as a bitter legal stoush brews between the NRL and the NSW government following a tense 24 hours of negotiations that ended in a stand-off.

A bitter legal stoush brewing between the NRL and the NSW government could place Queensland in the box seat to host future NRL grand finals, and Australian Rugby League Commission board member Peter Beattie is already preparing to swoop on the opportunity.

NRL boss Peter V’landys has vowed to take the NSW government to court after Premier Dominic Perrottet pulled back from a promise to revamp suburban footy stadiums.

Mr Perrottet’s claim the money was needed for disaster recovery was condemned by Mr V’landys as an “appalling” use of flood victims as “an excuse to renege on an agreement”.

A tense 24-hours of talks ended with a stand-off between the two sides on Tuesday night that could ultimately see the grand final moved from Sydney to Queensland.

And Mr Beattie is preparing to move a motion at the next ARLC board meeting that the grand final be moved to Queensland, should the NSW Government remain resolute.

Kate Jones, Megan Davis

“It is an ARLC board decision … (but) if the NSW Government reneges on the agreement with the NRL, and the Queensland Government is supportive, I know three Queenslanders on the board who will be happy to move that the Grand Final be held in Queensland – Kate Jones, Megan Davis and me,” he said.

“It is never dull in Rugby League.”

ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet are at odds over a pledge to upgrade suburban stadiums.

An original memorandum of understanding between the NSW government and NRL in 2017 ensured grand finals would be played in Sydney for 20 years in return for the $800m revamp of ANZ Stadium.

When the plans for the ANZ rebuild were ditched, the NRL instead agreed some of the cash would be spent on four suburban grounds at Brookvale, Cronulla, Leichhardt and Penrith.

Mr V’landys, chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission met Mr Perrottet on Monday to confront him over plans to withdraw $250m slated for suburban stadiums.

Mr Perrottet responded in writing by a 5pm Tuesday deadline with a vague pledge to spend on stadiums down the track and with none of the cash previously earmarked for Brookvale Oval, Leichhardt Oval and Shark Park.

“The NSW government remains committed to upgrading suburban stadiums however following recent natural disasters and the Covid-19 pandemic, it is appropriate that further investment in stadia is staged,” Mr Perrottet said.

“The government has just received the Floods Inquiry Report, which will likely require a significant cost to the taxpayer, and I note right now there are still 1366 people without a home in NSW due to flooding.

“It should come as no surprise that my top priority is therefore supporting those devastated by the major floods across NSW.

Mr V’landys responded furiously: “It is appalling that they are using the human ­tragedy of the floods as an ­excuse to renege on an agreement, especially when you look at the billions they have just spent in the recent ­budget.”