Storm chair Matt Tripp has backed Melbourne for the grand final

Melbourne Storm chair Matt Tripp insists a grand final at the MCG would do wonders for rugby league as a national game

Retired Melbourne Storm captain Cameron Smith with the NRL Premiership trophy last year. Picture: Getty Images

Melbourne Storm chair and owner Matt Tripp has weighed into the great grand final debate, insisting a finale at the MCG would be something for Victorians to savour and an opportunity to showpiece the sport as a national game.

Tripp clearly has a vested interest as the chief powerbroker at the club currently favoured to win the premiership. However, he is also a savvy businessman who can see the benefit for rugby league in playing the game at a jam-packed MCG.

On the day when the Victorian government insisted they would not engage in a bidding war for the grand final, Tripp urged officials to give it serious thought for the greater good of the sport.

“I think the rugby league world would get a real shock about how much support there is for the Melbourne Storm down in Victoria,” Tripp said.

“Nothing would please me more than to see 100,000 people at the MCG. To have the opportunity after playing in 10 of them in the past, to have it in our home state, would be quite incredible and something for all Melburnians and Victorians to savour.

“The NRL and the public should be embracing the fact we want this to be a national game. Love or hate Victorians, we want them to embrace rugby league.

“What better way to do so than to host a grand final at the home of AFL – there would be nothing better.”

The Storm are in the midst of the 16-game winning streak, the latest win a lopsided one over the side many expect to challenge them for the title. In Penrith’s defence, they were down on troops due to injury.

Even at their best, they may battle to compete with the Storm, particularly if the grand final gets shifted to the MCG. With Sydney gripped by a Covid-19 outbreak, the grand final appears a straight shootout between the Queensland and Victorian governments.

“There is no Queensland teams in the finals series this year,” Tripp said.

“So I think you could take away they would be missing out by not hosting it in Brisbane, or the Gold Coast, or Townsville. I think that dispels that argument.

“The fact is there will be a Melbourne team in the finals. If they did happen to make the grand final, I really do think a packed MCG would be a great showpiece to show this is a national game.”

Money is expected to play a role in the ARL Commission’s final decision, although Victoria’s sports Minister Martin Pakula on Tuesday insisted his state would not put financial prudence at risk in their pursuit of the grand final.

He has exchanged text messages with ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys and confirmed Victoria’s tourism organisation was also in discussions with league officials in case the situation worsened in the northern states.

Both the MCG and Marvel Stadium would be available to host the NRL grand final, which is held a week after the AFL decider this year, should a move be required.

“I have exchanged text messages with Peter V’landys and he indicated … they are probably looking at NSW and Queensland but they are happy having the conversation with us,” Pakula said.

“We indicated to the NRL we would be available for a conversation but we are not getting into a bidding war with the Queensland government.

“If the NRL comes to us and says to us, ‘Look, we don’t think Sydney is an option and we don’t think Brisbane is an option’ and they want to talk to us about the MCG and Marvel, then we are ready to have that conversation.”

Pakula also said Victoria would not enter into a bidding war with South Australia or Western Australia for the AFL grand final with good reason – the game is contracted to the MCG until 2058.

Both the AFL and the Victorian government are working on a Covid-safe plan in relation to crowds attending matches throughout the finals series including the grand final.

Transmission in the latest Victorian outbreak occurred at both the MCG and AAMI Park. Pakula said this had prompted a rethink regarding crowd safety measures, which could then be applied to the NRL grand final if the game was played in Melbourne.

Before the grand final, Tripp wants the Storm to return to their home of AAMI Park to play at the very least, finals football.

“We would love to see if we could get definitely one, but maybe two club games back before the season is out and naturally host some games at AAMI Park if we can do so,” he said.

“The grand final is up in the air. Of course we would be supportive to play it in Melbourne.”