Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium to host relocated NRL Grand Final

The NRL Grand Final is to move away from Sydney for the first time, with Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium confirmed as venue for the match on Sunday 3rd October.

With all 16 NRL teams based in Queensland for the past three months, the entire finals series will be held in the state with the 52,500-seat Suncorp Stadium to host the season decider.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed the hosting yesterday afternoon, commenting “just as we helped the AFL last year, we are very pleased to step up this year.”

The plan for the finals was agreed following discussions between the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) and the Queensland Government after the NSW Government confirmed it would not be able to host matches due to the continuing lockdown in the state.

Noting that Queensland fans had long campaigned for a Grand Final, ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys stated “this year we will create history, playing the Grand Final in Brisbane for the very first time.

“This will be an historic moment for the city and a reward for the support the Queensland community has given us throughout 2021. This year will always be remembered as the year Queensland hosted all of our major events; All Stars, Magic Round, 3 State of Origins and the Grand Final.”

NRL Chief Executive Andrew Abdo said the decision to play multiple finals matches in regional Queensland rewarded grassroots fans who would not normally be able to attend finals matches

Abdo commented “we have fans far and wide and our finals schedule acknowledges and rewards our fans in regional areas with live finals football as well as southeast Queensland who has been home to our teams.”

Abdo said the NRL would continue to monitor the infection rate in Queensland and work closely with Queensland Health to keep the community healthy, adding “our priority is ensuring the health and safety of the community and we will continue to follow all public health orders and work closely with Queensland Health for the remainder of the series.”

NSW Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres said the historic relocation was another reminder for the people of Sydney to get vaccinated, adding “while it is very disappointing to miss out on this marquee event, it reinforces the importance of our community getting vaccinated so that events like the NRL grand final with crowds can safely return to our stadiums as soon as possible.

"I would like to thank the NRL for its understanding in this challenging situation and its ongoing support of the NSW visitor economy.

"The NSW government via its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, looks forward to working with the Australian Rugby League Commission to welcome the NRL grand final back to Sydney in 2022 bigger and brighter than ever before."

Kick-off will be 6.30pm local time and 7.30pm for Sydney and Melbourne, with daylight savings starting on 3rd October in NSW and Victoria.

Last week it was announced that Western Australia will host the AFL Grand Final for the first time after the league moved its showpiece event to Perth’s Optus Stadium from Melbourne Cricket Ground in Victoria.

Image: COVID restrictions meant Sydney's Stadium Australia was half full for Melbourne's victory over Penrith in the 2020 NRL Grand Final, but the severity of the current Delta outbreak has forced the NRL's biggest game to move from the city to for the first time. The match will now be held at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium (pictured).