NRL 2022: Peter V’landys has dig at NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet at Grand Final announcement

ARLC Chairman couldn’t help but take a dig at NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet at the NRL Grand Final announcement after reneging on the stadiums deal.

ARLC chairman Peter V’landys has taken a dig at NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet following months of tense negotiations to decide the venue for the 2022 grand final.

The NRL on Thursday announced that Sydney’s Accor Stadium would host this year’s decider. But in delivering the news, V’landys couldn’t resist a swipe at Perrottet after the pair earlier clashed over suburban stadium funding.

“Dom is a very good premier and a very good human being but don’t have a bet with him because if you do he won’t pay you,” V’landys said.

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Peter V'landys has had a subtle dig at Dominic Perrottet. Picture: Getty Images

The decision to award the 2022 grand final to Sydney is a relief for Perrottet, who was embroiled in a war of words with V’landys after reneging on an $800 million suburban stadium funding pledge due to the state’s flood crisis.

It is understood the NSW government came back to the table with a beefed-up package and that was enough to convince the ARL Commission to hand the NRL grand final to Sydney’s Accor Stadium over Suncorp.

Perrottet revealed that his government had offered more money than ever to retain the game’s showpiece event.

“We put a very fair and reasonable offer to the NRL in relation to keeping the grand final,” Perrottet said.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet revealed that his government had offered more money than ever to retain the grand final. Picture: Gaye Gerard/NCA Newswire

“That is commercially in confidence. It is probably not as much as Queensland have offered but it is more than we have paid in the past.

“I have made it very clear that the game should remain in our great state. It has been an institution for our people and that is where it should remain.

“The grand final has always been in NSW except for last year during covid. Ultimately I have to make decisions in the best interests of NSW. We have gone through a very difficult time in our state over the last four years with bush fires, droughts, floods and the pandemic.”