NRL grand final in Brisbane on the cards as ANZ to undergo redevelopment

SUNCORP Stadium officials believe they have a trump card that could help clinch an NRL grand final for Brisbane.

SUNCORP Stadium officials believe they have a trump card that could help clinch an NRL grand final for Brisbane.

Stadium bosses will table a proposal to the league which will show taking the decider away from Sydney will not cost the code millions in lost revenue.

The Queensland Government and Suncorp Stadium are in discussions with the NRL about hosting a grand final in 2018 or 2019.

Suncorp can provide a unmatched atmosphere for the NRL decider.

Sydney’s 83,500-seat ANZ Stadium will undergo a $700 million redevelopment from next year, which could see the Olympic venue temporarily lose the grand final.

It was originally believed the 52,000-seat Brisbane venue could not provide the same financial return for the NRL but stadium general manager Alan Graham said that was not the case.

“The first thing people should understand is even though Suncorp has a smaller capacity than ANZ Stadium, we can actually return them a better net out of a game,” he said.

“Simply because of the model we operate on and the inventory we’re able to provide them to generate revenue on.

“You’ve only got to look at the passion of Queenslanders and how much they embrace rugby league. We had the two grand finalists (last year) ... from a Queenslander’s point of view, I was disappointed to see all of those Queenslanders travelling south and spending their money in NSW.”

The Milton stadium would be able to have corporate suites for the grand final and the seating configuration also enable organisers to sell more premium tickets, unlike ANZ Stadium which was not designed for watching rugby league.

The state government is yet to talk specifics about what it would cost to secure a grand final but Tourism and Major Events Minister Kate Jones said discussions were positive.

“My understanding is there will be at least one grand final available,” she said.

“Suncorp is still the best rugby league stadium in the country and we’ve got to keep it that way.”

The SCG and the MCG are other possible venues to host the grand final during the gap years.

ANZ Stadium will fight to keep the game, although the NRL has concerns about hosting a major event in a construction zone.