Sydney on collision course to host both the NRL and AFL Grand Final on same weekend
Plans have been underway for some weeks to get ANZ Stadium up and running as an AFL Grand Final venue. But there’s one potential sticking point sure to be at the heart of the ongoing talks — and it involves the NRL.
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Sydney’s advancing bid to host a historic AFL Grand Final could hinge on whether the game’s chief Gillon McLachlan is prepared to get out of the NRL’s way.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal plans have been underway for some weeks to get ANZ Stadium “AFL ready”, with conversations already taking place between NSW Government officials and head office about hosting the Grand Final in Sydney.
It’s understood secret discussions about the logistics and operational requirements of hosting the AFL Grand Final at ANZ Stadium are happening behind the scenes, but there’s one potential sticking point sure to be at the heart of the ongoing talks.
As it stands right now, the two heavyweight codes are on a collision course to potentially play their Grand Finals on the same weekend, with the NRL locked in for Sunday October 25 and the AFL currently heading down a path towards Saturday the 24th.
However, looming scheduling shake-ups in the AFL could change that and further boost Sydney’s hopes of pulling off one of the greatest heists ever in Australian sport, with every indication McLachlan remains as flexible about his Grand Final date as he does the venue.
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It’s a pivotal factor in the whole debate because if the AFL chose to settle on October 24 it would almost certainly rule Sydney out of the running because although technically possible to reconfigure ANZ Stadium inside 24 hours, the reality is the two events would cannibalise each other.
As the bigger national juggernaut, with its Grand Final worth over $50 million, the AFL ordinarily wouldn’t worry about sharing the weekend with its rivals, but going head-to-head with the NRL in the same city defeats the purpose of what McLachlan would be trying to achieve by taking his banner event to Sydney in the first place — that is, gaining maximum exposure in a new market.
Not to mention the challenges ANZ Stadium would face doing justice to the two Grand Finals, given both events would normally require two days of on-the-ground dress rehearsals in the lead-up.
But with the AFL actively considering introducing bye rounds before finals time as it looks to navigate through an uncertain period where matches may be condensed into shorter periods, the season could be strung out and create a scenario where if the AFL wanted to go to Sydney for the Grand Final, it could find its own clear air on October 31 or beyond.
A call could be made on whether the MCG is fit to host its showpiece event in a month’s time when it becomes clearer what impact Melbourne’s lockdown has had on quelling COVID-19. Meanwhile, Sydney too holds its breath about the threat of a second wave.
Until then, the bidding process around the country will only gain speed, but high profile personalities in the game are already nominating Sydney as the obvious No.2 option in front of Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane, and Sportsbet has instilled ANZ Stadium as $1.90 favourites, even ahead of the MCG.
The other interesting factor is that the NRL is yet to formally lock in ANZ Stadium as their grand final venue for this season.
It is all but certain to happen, but no deal has been done yet and the door has been left ever so slightly ajar should a second wave of the pandemic hit Sydney and force the NRL to consider Brisbane as an emergency option.
Back in 2012, ANZ Stadium hosted an AFL preliminary final on the Friday night, before turning around for an NRL prelim without a hitch on the Saturday night.
Maintenance work has already started to take place on ANZ’s retractable grandstands, which haven’t moved since 2016, and turf is growing in anticipation of major AFL matches in the coming months.
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KENNETT SUPPORTS ANZ STADIUM GRAND FINAL
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Hawthorn boss Jeff Kennett says Sydney’s ANZ Stadium should host this year’s AFL Grand Final if fans remain locked out of the MCG.
And the former Victorian Premier says the State Government will only have itself to blame if the premiership decider is lost to an interstate raider because of the deepening COVID-19 crisis.
“If we are unable to hold it at the MCG because of a lack of crowds, I think Sydney is the obvious choice,” Kennett said.
“It will give more Australians from across the country an opportunity to attend.
“It would be played at the Homebush stadium and that is probably the appropriate place.
“That’s where I would prefer because it’s easier to get to for supporters.”
Kennett said Perth’s 60,000-seat Optus Stadium was not a realistic option.
“It’s a longer flight and God only knows what you would catch while you were there,” he said.
The Hawthorn president and AFL “war cabinet” member said he doubted the AFL could be forced to honour its contract to stage the Grand Final at the MCG until 2057 if crowds were not permitted.
“There’s a long way to go yet but if we are still unable to have people at the ground, I don’t think the Government, given its pathetic performance, could ask the AFL to go against the public interest, which would be to have as many people as possible attend the Grand Final,” Kennett said.
“We have a contract in place but if we can’t stage a Grand Final here at the MCG there is only one group of people you can blame and that’s the Government for so mishandling both the Cedar Meats and quarantine hotels.”
Kennett also took aim at NRL supremo Peter V’landys, who has welcomed the prospect of a “second-rate event” like the AFL Grand Final coming to the Harbour City.
“The guy is a silver medallist — and not a very good one at that — and if he’s trying to be a gold medallist that’s understandable,” Kennett said.
“I don’t mind him flailing about but the reality is, by any measure, the AFL leaves him at the starting gates. Not only in terms of crowds at games regularly but on memberships of clubs, on television ratings and on the size of the competition.
“We are in the big league and he’s in the minor league just trying to punch his way out of a wet paper bag to get noticed.
“He could walk down any street here in Melbourne, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Brisbane and nobody would know him from a bar of soap.”
ANZ Stadium, home of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, has not staged an AFL game for four years but is the second-biggest ground in the country with a capacity of 75,000.
League boss Gillon McLachlan said on Friday a call on where the Grand Final would be played would be made in August.
“Everything keeps changing … it is real though, you don’t know where we are going to be,” McLachlan told 3AW.
“I’ve said everything about the MCG being our home, but if it wasn’t then obviously there are great venues in every state in great footy markets.”
Sports Minister Martin Pakula said he was hopeful Victoria would turn around the virus crisis and have a crowd at the MCG on Grand Final day.
“We have an arrangement with the AFL that runs from now until 2057 for the Grand Final to be played at the MCG and it will be my expectation, if it is at all possible for that to occur, and I think it will be,” Pakula said.
“They (the AFL) are not rushing to make decisions.”
Pakula said he was not surprised other states were angling to poach the Grand Final.
“But at the end of the day there is only one home of football and that is Melbourne and the MCG,” he said.
Originally published as Sydney on collision course to host both the NRL and AFL Grand Final on same weekend
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