Blindside: Hopes are fading for Queensland to host the 2020 NRL grand final

The chances of Queensland hosting the 2020 NRL grand final continue to diminish but the government is not giving up hope of landing the marquee event.

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Queensland is at long odds of stealing this year's NRL grand final from Sydney.

The Queensland Government and Suncorp Stadium have launched a new bid to poach the 2020 premiership decider on the back of Sydney's stadium drama.

If the T20 World Cup goes ahead, the SCG will be out of action for the October 25 grand final, while traditional venue ANZ Stadium is scheduled to be demolished from July and Allianz Stadium is already rubble.

The only suitable venue to host the grand final in Sydney could be the 30,000-seat Bankwest Stadium at Parramatta.

The prompted Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to make a bid for the grand final to ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys last week when opening the state's borders for the NRL.

But Blindside understands the NRL's 25-year contract to host the grand final in Sydney, coupled with the NSW Government's support for the season to resume this month, is expected to kill Queensland's chances of poaching the game.

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Queensland\s wait to host an NRL grand final will stretch on. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images.

Broncos chief executive Paul White said Queensland would never get a better opportunity to host the decider at the 52,000-seat Suncorp Stadium.

"If it's ever to happen now is the right time," White said.

"Suncorp is a magnificent stadium and everyone knows Queensland is a rugby league state.

"There are a lot of unknowns, and at the moment they (Queensland government) would be accepting it on the basis of no-one attending.

"Economic impact might not be as large as if it was a full house. I don't know where the NRL is at on a decision, but Suncorp can certainly host a grand final and Queensland would do it well, I have no doubt."

V'landys said the NRL would confront the Sydney stadium issue for Origin and the grand final when it had to, and he was confident it would not be a problem.

“It’s no concern," he said.

“When you’ve gone through what we’ve gone through in this crisis, the things that used to seem like major problems in the past aren’t major problems now.

“We’ll come to a landing."

LODGE EDGING CLOSER TO BRONCOS CAPTAINCY

Broncos prop Matt Lodge has spoken about his strong bond with coach Anthony Seibold as he edges closer towards the Brisbane captaincy.

Lodge returned to the training paddock on Wednesday as he continues his rehabilitation from a partial ACL tear.

Lodge missed the first two games of the NRL season with the injury but is hoping to be cleared to play when the competition resumes from May 28.

When Lodge takes the field, he will be one of the Broncos' official leaders after being made part of Seibold's leadership group this year.

Seibold wanted Lodge to replace Darius Boyd as captain but was denied by the Broncos board, and eventually opted for cleanskin Alex Glenn.

Lodge could well end up as Broncos captain. Picture by Annette Dew.

Lodge was brought to the Broncos when former coach Wayne Bennett was at the helm, but he has developed a strong relationship with Seibold, and said he wanted to repay the coach's faith in his leadership.

“Especially with my reputation, it’s good that he backed me," Lodge said, referring to his New York incident in 2015.

“Seibs has always been a big supporter of mine no matter what anyone else in the club thinks.

“It’s good he’s put me in those positions and doesn’t worry about the repercussions.

“He backs me to do the job he wants me to do.

“We’re a young team and needed a couple of people to step up. It’s good making decisions sometimes."

The Broncos were left with youngsters Brodie Croft and Pat Carrigan as co-captains in the opening rounds with Lodge and Glenn injured.

TITANS LOSE TWO BIG FANS

The Gold Coast Titans have lost their two biggest supporters at NRL headquarters.

The departures of NRL CEO Todd Greenberg and chief financial officer Tony Crawford in the space of a fortnight saw the Titans' two biggest backers leave head office.

Crawford worked closely with the Titans for a long time and helped rescue the club when it was taken over by the NRL under mounting debts in 2015.

Greenberg was a staunch supporter of rugby league on the Gold Coast and always backed the Titans' long-term survival.

The Titans are under siege, with the NRL looking to bring in a second Brisbane team from 2023. Support from head office will be crucial to the Titans’ success.

Greenberg was a big fan of the Titans. Photo by Matt King/Getty Images.

BRONCOS SCRAMBLE AMID POSTAGE BUNGLE

An NRL postage bungle left the Broncos scrambling to purchase medical equipment to adhere to the code's strict return-to-training COVID-19 protocols.

Blindside can reveal Brisbane staff had to make an emergency dash to Chemist Warehouse to buy thermometers to perform temperature checks on Broncos players, who returned to Red Hill headquarters on Monday.

The Broncos were awaiting a supply of thermometers from the NRL, but when they failed to arrive in time, staff were dispatched on a hit-and-run mission to local chemists to ensure the club met the code's coronavirus guidelines.

While Titans forward Bryce Cartwright has refused to have a flu shot in accordance with NRL requirements, all Broncos players have agreed to be vaccinated ahead of the NRL's May 28 restart.

SHOOSH
Which NRL club doctor is holding Zoom meetings with officials from the other 15 clubs lying on his bed with his shirt off? All he needs is I'm Too Sexy playing in the background.