The New South Wales government could demand the grand final, a State of Origin match, and at least four finals games "as a way of helping" the National Rugby League reach a 65-game commitment before a A$1.6B ($1.2B) stadium funding package is released, according to Stuart Honeysett of THE AUSTRALIAN. The NRL "has until Friday to submit a proposal to the government on how it intends to satisfy the criteria but both camps are said to be happy with the way talks are proceeding."
NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events and Sports Stuart Ayres and NRL CEO Todd Greenberg were at ANZ Stadium Monday "to launch the 2016 State of Origin series, which will see two games hosted in Sydney."
Ayres said, "There’s no doubt premium content is what we need to see here. You don’t invest over a billion dollars worth of taxpayers’ funds in these assets and not expect premium content to be here. That point has been made very, very clear to the NRL, and my expectation is that premium content will be part of any content package that underpins the financial investment of the taxpayer in new stadiums." The game’s showpiece events "have now become a crucial part of the negotiations after the eight affected Sydney clubs went into meltdown last week over speculation they could be forced to play at one of the three major venues" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 3/30). In Sydney, Michael Chammas wrote the grand final, which the NSW government is demanding remains in Sydney beyond '19 despite Australian Rugby League Commission Chair John Grant's "push to play a decider in Brisbane once every 10 years, will be one of at least five matches in the nine-game finals series the NRL will budget for in its pledge to the NSW government on April 1." There "will also be at least one State of Origin match in Sydney each year, giving the NRL between six and eight games of premium content to include in its commitment, which will mean less reliance on Manly, Cronulla, Wests Tigers and the Dragons making up the numbers."
Between South Sydney, Parramatta, Canterbury and the Sydney Roosters the NRL "has earmarked 42 games, while the Dragons and Tigers already play four games each at the major venues."
The addition of an estimated eight premium matches to the commitment will mean the NRL "will need to find just seven additional regular season games between Manly, Cronulla, St George Illawarra and the Wests Tigers."
Greenberg said, "It's not about compensation, it's about showing different models for clubs looking into the future." Ayres said, "Without that content, it's very difficult for us to deliver a business case to Treasury which would release the funds" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 3/29).
