NRL grand final 2022: Peter V’landys says call ‘on a knife’s edge’

Other states tried to lure the NRL Grand Final before Queensland and New South Wales emerged as leading bidders. What will the ARL Commission decide? Have your say.

Suncorp Stadium is still in the running to host the NRL grand final. Picture: Josh Woning

ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys has declared that the time has arrived to make a call on this year’s grand final after the Queensland and NSW governments were given one final chance to pitch their case to host the decider.

After months of tense negotiations, the ARL Commission is expected to finally announce the host city for this year’s decider on Wednesday morning. A commission meeting was held on Tuesday where they decided to delay a call for a further 24 hours to receive further information from the state governments.

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Suncorp Stadium is still in the running to host the NRL grand final. Picture: Josh Woning

News Corp understands that other state governments have shown interest but the commission is only weighing up taking the grand final to Sydney or Brisbane.

V’landys acknowledged that a decision had to be made after months of tense negotiations, with the final call believed to be on a knife’s edge.

“We have to make a decision,” V’landys said.

“We will bite the bullet. Like any good board, we needed more information. We need to have the maximum amount of information to make the best decision we can make.

“This morning we didn’t have enough information. It’s on a knife’s edge. For the first time in my career I can’t tell you one way or the other.”

V’landys insisted talks had been conducted in good faith despite erroneous claims on Monday night that the grand final would remain in Sydney. That report was the latest episode in what has become a tense negotiation involving V’landys, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo, NSW premier Dominic Perrottet and new sports minister Alister Henskens.

At the heart of the issue is the state government’s decision to backflip on a promise to fund upgrade story suburban grounds. In return for a long-term commitment to play the grand final in Sydney, the state government had promised to provide funds to upgrade Leichhardt Oval, 4 Pines Park on Sydney’s northern beaches and Pointsbet Stadium at Cronulla.

That commitment is now in jeopardy after the state government said they needed the money for emergency funding for flood relief. South Sydney have been caught up in the drama as well as they attempt to negotiate a return to Allianz Stadium – they are locked into a long term deal at Accor Stadium.

Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly is due to hold talks with Henskens on Wednesday. By then, the ARL Commission is expected to have made a call on where the grand final will be played. Sydney remains the short-priced favourite to host the decider, although the commission has a strong representation of Queenslanders who would no doubt take great delight in moving the grand final for the second year in succession.

“The new sports minister has been good to deal with,” V’landys said.

“It has been done in good spirits. It’s not as if we have been at war with each other. I think people are trying to paint it in a different way to what it is.

“The discussions in the last week have been in good faith.”

Originally published as NRL grand final 2022: Peter V’landys says call ‘on a knife’s edge’