NRL grand final: NSW will not concede decider to Queensland or Victoria

Memo to Queensland and Victoria as they attempt to steal the NRL grand final from Sydney; NSW has a trump card that you can’t play.

NSW is ready to fight to save the NRL grand final from Brisbane and Melbourne as a reward for Sydneysiders coming out of lockdown.

The state’s Deputy Premier John Barilaro is leading the charge, declaring: “It’s our game.”

“There is no intention to surrender our rights to hosting the game,” Barilaro told The Daily Telegraph.

“I’m hopeful by the long weekend in October we’ll be in a position play the game in Sydney.

“No way are we giving it up. It’s ours and we’ll fight to the very end to keep it.

“I speak to Peter (V’landys) often. He gets it. To take it away from Sydney would be a huge call.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro wants to reward Sydneysiders with the NRL grand final when lockdown ends. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“I’m honestly confident we can host it. There is an agreement in place although in these time we accept we have to talk things through.”

With Sydney in lockdown until the end of the month, the Victorian and Queensland governments are both bidding to pinch the decider.

It has become a huge political issue because V’landys is lobbying hard for state government funding for his plans to build four new suburban grounds in Sydney.

That funding is dependent on NSW retaining the right to host the grand finals.

Barilaro worked closely alongside V’landys last year to get rugby league back from the pandemic before any other sport in the country.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams Pool/Getty Images

“We have the highest regard for John Barilaro,” V'landys said on Tuesday night, “We never forget and repay loyalty. He assisted us the most to get us back on May 28 last year.”

The deputy premier said the timing was perfect for NSW in the long business recovery from Covid.

“The timing of the game around tourism and hospitality and rebooting the economy is so important to NSW,” he said, “By that time we’ll be pushing towards a full recovery.

Barilaro even suggested staging the grand final would be incentive for NSW residents to get vaccinated.

“Let’s also use it as the prize for people to get vaccinated,” he said.

The NRL grand final is in demand. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

“By our projections, our vaccination rates will have us in a position by them to be lifting restrictions.

“It’s obviously hard to predicting a crowd size or limit right now.

“If you make vaccinations part of the deal, there’s no reason to suggest you couldn’t have Stadium Australia 75 per cent full.”

V’landys is in no hurry to be making a decision on the venue.

“We won’t make a decision until the finals which is still five weeks away,” V’landys said.

“I’ve learnt with this pandemic that one day it’s beautiful, the next you’re in lockdown.

“To be making decision this far out would be silly.”