States in tug of war over prospect of shifting AFL grand final
A war of words has broken out over the possibility of Sydney hosting the AFL grand final.
A war of words broke out on Thursday over the possibility of Sydney hosting the AFL grand final, with football voices in the southern states attacking the idea while NSW hit back at the parochialism of traditionalists.
GWS Giants chairman and stadium chief Tony Shepherd said while there was sympathy for Victoria in the current crisis, people needed to understand that Sydney’s ANZ Stadium was the best venue to host the event if the MCG could not have crowds.
Shepherd said season 2020 would be over if it were not for NSW and Queensland and the investment in those states by the AFL. “If they did not have the Giants and Gold Coast set up when they did, the whole hub concept would not work. We’ve got an eco system where AFL can survive,” he told The Australian.
Shepherd, who is the designated chief of NSW’s new stadium authority, said the 75,000-seat ANZ Stadium had greater capacity than Optus Stadium in Perth, Adelaide Oval and the Gabba in Brisbane.
“ANZ is the logical place,” he said. “The hubs are here, you can get in and out of here. That is why there are so many teams in Sydney this week. You can’t fly in and out of Perth without going into quarantine.”
The AFL is understood to be examining the idea of playing the grand final in Sydney, while Perth is keen to bring the final to Optus Stadium, which has a capacity of 60,000. This week all Victorian clubs have migrated to Queensland or NSW to escape the restrictions of the pandemic lockdown. Every match of the round will be played in those two states.
It is possible that football will not return to Victoria this year. Shepherd said the stadiums availability for the grand final would depend on what the NRL decided to do, but Peter V’landy’s competition is yet to nominate a venue for its final.
“They can play their grand final here,” V’landys told The Australian. “Every great performer needs a support act and they can be the entree to our main course.”
V’landys joked that Victorians such as Eddie McGuire, who said the NRL would be worried, talked a good game.
“I like him, I like his love for the game and his club. He’s having a jab. You have to when you have a second-rate sport,” he said.
Some believe the league boss is using the potential of playing the final interstate to leverage more funding from the state government for suburban venues.
ANZ Stadium has not hosted an AFL game since 60,000 attended a qualifying final between GWS and Sydney in 2016.
The ground had been abandoned by the AFL, which already has the SCG and Giants Stadium. The former Olympic venue was to be redeveloped as a rectangle-only stadium, but still has the capacity for Australian rules because the redevelopment plans were scrapped by the state government.
Melbourne commentator Gerard Whateley lashed out at the idea of playing the final at ANZ. “It is not even listed in the season guide as an AFL venue,” Whateley said on his SEN program. “How could it possibly be considered as a possibility for the biggest game of all? It’s a ghastly idea, not because it’s Sydney but because it’s an awful idea.”
South Australian-born football legend Malcolm Blight called on the AFL to look after its own and have the grand final in a “traditional” state. Swans chief executive Tom Harley dismissed Blight’s claim on SEN, telling Dwayne Russell: “If we are truly to be a national game, the concept of looking after our own is at odds with that … it can’t be a traditional state conversation”.
Harley said the SCG should also come into consideration, but said the best way to decide would be by ladder position of the local teams and capacity of the venue. Giants veteran Heath Shaw, who has played in four grand finals at the MCG, said while he favoured the traditional venue it was an extraordinary year and ANZ was a good place for a grand final.
“I can’t see why not,” the former Collingwood defender said. “If it means there is going to be a crowd at the ground for the grand final then definitely. Look at the weather, it is beautiful up here and to get a crowd of 50,000 or 60,000 to watch a grand final instead of having zero people at the MCG, I know what I’d rather be doing.”
“It would be great for Sydney. I’m not sure the NRL would be too happy about it, but it’s great for the brand and building AFL in NSW.”
The AFL is locked into a deal until 2057 to host grand finals at the MCG no matter which side finishes on top of the ladder. Shaw said he had no problem with this.
“I’m a bit of a traditionalist, I really love the MCG, it’s an amazing ground to play at, let alone play a grand final at,” he said. “But if it means for a year it gets changed to go somewhere else, so be it.”
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