Index

But I’ve got a pretty good idea about how this whole thing is going to work out.

The NRL Grand Final remains a significant part of this debate.

NRL bosses Andrew Abdo and Peter V’landys hold the cards here because the Grand Final is not locked in to any venue and it would be embarrassing if Sydney lost the decider in the first year of Minns’ leadership.

The season decider has been held in Sydney every year, except for 2021 when COVID-19 restrictions forced it to Brisbane.

The NRL knows Accor Stadium is the best option but equally knows it has leverage in its quest for other grounds like Leichhardt Oval, Shark Park and Brookvale Oval to be upgraded.

So here’s how I think this will play out: Labor will scrap the $300 million Penrith project, citing increased costs that would make the project impossible to deliver within that budget.

It will instead allocate a significant portion of those funds to an upgrade, perhaps in the vicinity of $100 to $150 million. This would allow the club to significantly improve the corporate facilities, develop better toilet facilities and more permanent food and beverage options; as well as other cosmetic improvements it deems necessary.

The remaining $150 to $200 million would

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Extra Time.......................................33-48 then be allocated across the other suburban grounds to meet some of the requirements of those venues, which are in desperate need of a modern spruce up.

As part of that commitment, Labor will secure the Grand Final for the next 20-odd years in Sydney and Minns will be able to close a debate that has been going on for way longer than it should have.

The biggest loser here is Penrith, no question, but I’m struggling to see a future where Labor calls in the bulldozers to knock down and re-build Penrith Stadium, spends nothing on the other venues and potentially loses the Grand Final.

It should be noted that this walks away from what has been a long-term stadium strategy in Sydney that would deliver major new venues in the east (Allianz Stadium), west (CommBank Stadium) and outer west (Penrith). This plan has been in place far longer than this recent election campaign.

But governments, policies, plans and priorities change, and the outer western stadium may ultimately be a victim here.

Labor has $300 million to play with and with those funds it can likely kick off its relationship with the state’s biggest sporting code on a good foot.

And yes, governments should fund and build stadiums.

No government – Labor or Liberal – would choose to build a stadium over a hospital or upgrade a road. That is a cheap argument largely aimed at promoting some sort of unwarranted guilt trip.

The previous Liberal government proved that you can have both: you can build hospitals and roads, but you can also build stadiums that generate revenue and bring big events to Sydney. Labor can and likely will do the same.

Investing in sport at the top level has significant flow-on effects to junior and grassroots sport, and to the communities in which such venues exist.

The NRL cannot be greedy, but it has every right to expect a partnership with government given the significant role it plays in the lives of millions of people in NSW.

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