Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that "the day has come for her state to host" the National Rugby League grand final, and end Sydney’s "stranglehold on the competition’s showpiece event," according to the AAP.
New South Wales Premier Mike Baird "wants the NRL to guarantee finals will be played in Sydney for the next 20 years after promising to build two new stadiums," but Palaszczuk said that her state "wants its fair share." Palaszczuk: "Let me make it very clear to Mike Baird, the N in NRL stands for national, not Sydney." NRL Head of Football Todd Greenberg last month "gave a strong indication that the game could be played at the 55,000-seat Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane."
Under the NRL’s contract with the NSW Government, Sydney’s ANZ Stadium "will host the grand final until 2019." Greenberg said that the NRL "had not ruled out Queensland hosting an NRL grand final." Greenberg: "We understand how important Suncorp Stadium is to the game, so there is always an appetite to play more games in Queensland" (AAP, 9/3).
