ANZ Stadium back in the game
Canterbury have been given NSW government approval to return to Homebush with the venue back in the frame for the grand final.
Canterbury have been given NSW government approval to return to ANZ Stadium and talks have begun about taking the grand final and State of Origin back to the ground as the NRL pushes for restrictions to be eased around their players and clubs in coming days.
The Bulldogs had been hoping to play their round eight game against South Sydney at ANZ Stadium and one of the most significant impediments has been removed after the state government made the venue exempt for up to 10,000 people.
Canterbury now have a decision to make, although they need to hold talks with stadium officials to determine whether the ground can be ready in two weeks to begin hosting sporting events once again.
The Bulldogs also need to decide whether there is value in playing at ANZ Stadium before 10,000 people when they could get a more intimate atmosphere at the smaller Bankwest Stadium, where they have been based since rugby league returned.
ANZ Stadium was scheduled to undergo a rebuild later this month but the $800 million renovation was scrapped as the NSW government focused on other avenues to stimulate the economy in the wake of COVID-19.
The decision to scrap the rebuild has wider implications than just Canterbury and the Rabbitohs, the ground’s two anchor tenants.
The grand final was expected to played at the SCG but talks have been ongoing with the NSW government over the title decider given the decision to scrap the overhaul of ANZ Stadium.
That decision had given the Queensland government a sliver of hope that they could steal the game and have it played at Suncorp Stadium.
However, it is understood the NRL is close to finalising an agreement with the NSW government to keep the grand final in Sydney, with the game to be played at ANZ Stadium.
Likewise, Origin is expected to be played at ANZ Stadium. Club chairs and chief executives were told at a meeting in Sydney on Wednesday that the NRL expected that all clubs would have the option to return to their home grounds from round eight.
A sense of normalcy is slowly returning. In Queensland, Deputy Premier Steve Miles confirmed that some sporting codes had requested that they be allowed to have 2000 people attend games as a trial.
It means the Gold Coast Titans will have spectators attend their game against St George Illawarra at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday while the AFL’s Gold Coast Suns can host the Adelaide Crows in front of the same amount of people at Metricon Stadium the next day.
“That number might not be reached but it is an acknowledgment of how well the codes and the fans have done their part in controlling the spread of COVID-19,” Miles said.
“Like a great game of football, we have to ensure our defences. But we also have to make our breaks when we can.”
There is blue sky ahead for the players as well as the NRL pushes to ease some of the restrictions around their involvement in the general community.
The players have been urged to avoid contact with the wider public to help facilitate the game’s return but with the danger seemingly on the slide, the NRL is keen for the players to regain some semblance of normality.
Cronulla forward Andrew Fifita has endured more than most. He was forced to spend time away from his wife and children after they took part in Black Lives Matter protest in Sydney.
“(They were) saying, ‘Are you going to come down, are you going to come down?’ ” Fifita said. “But I’m in a bubble. I have to respect the rules and this is my work. I would have loved to go down to the march but I couldn’t be there so I sent my family on my behalf … it’s just one of those things that we all stand up for and I’m a very proud indigenous man.
“I had three phone calls to the club because I walked my kids around the block on their bikes, it’s tough.
“Ever since that moment, I haven’t been out. I’ve been stuck in the house for a long time now. I’m absolutely going crazy at home.
“Once we come in (to the club), we are stuck in here all day. So we are just sitting here twiddling our thumbs.”
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