Adelaide was named State of Origin’s latest neutral venue, "prompting questions about when Sydney and Brisbane will again host more than one clash apiece in the annual series or even if they will," according to the AAP. Adelaide Oval was confirmed on Wednesday as host of one of the first two games of the '20 series. It will be the "third consecutive series in which a game is played outside NSW and Queensland," with matches allocated for the Melbourne Cricket Ground in '18 and Perth in '19. NRL Head of Football Brian Canavan "talked down the prospect of a backlash from Queensland or NSW fans for taking the game to neutral territory." He said, "We’ve been through that before with Melbourne and that doesn’t seem to worry us." Canavan and South Australia Sports Minister Leon Bignell "declined to say what SA paid to host the game" but the NRL said that the financial incentive was "obviously a major consideration." The state government estimated "up to 16,000 interstate fans will descend on Adelaide" and inject A$15M ($11.9M) into the local economy (AAP, 2/13). In Brisbane, Paul Malone reported the NRL "refused to guarantee that Brisbane or Sydney will in future host a second State of Origin game in a series." Wally Lewis, Queensland’s "King" of Origin, said that he "could see there were compelling financial reasons for taking the attractions outside NSW and Queensland." But he said that Origin players "still wanted most to play for their state in Brisbane or Sydney." The NRL "refused to confirm or deny if the practice of selling off one game per year would extend" beyond '20. A league spokesperson said, "The NRL has confirmed the next three-year cycle of State of Origin matches. There has been no confirmation beyond that" (COURIER-MAIL, 2/14). In Sydney, Adam Pengilly reported Queensland Rugby League Chair Bruce Hatcher "is not convinced either state should be guaranteed to host two games in any one year," citing a new trend of "belt tightening" among many families. He said, "This is clearly an NRL initiative to do this and I think we've had enough experience of having two games in [Sydney and Brisbane]. Affordability in the current economic climate has had an impact when you have two games in your city. It's a supply and demand thing and some families can afford to go once, but they can't afford to go twice. Beyond that, you've also got to look at the opportunity of taking your game to another audience" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 2/14).
