NRL flags major stadium shuffle for future finals

The NRL have admitted the policy around suburban grounds being able to host finals may be about to change.

Controversy had enveloped the competition once again, with the Cronulla Sharks locked in to host a game in Week 1 of the finals, where they will host the Sydney Roosters.

The two teams will put their seasons on the line in front of a sold-out crowd of around 14,000.

Sharks Stadium, which the club have suggested needs $180 million in work to give it a proper facelift, is the smallest ground in the competition.

Despite that, the Sharks are currently allowed to host a Week 1 final there.

The policy that allows it has gone back and forth over the years, with home games at suburban grounds originally taken out of the allowable rules shortly after the Dragons locked out thousands of fans in consecutive years at Kogarah.

Small crowds down the line at major venues in Week 1 saw a revision of the policy, but it could be about to change again, with NRL CEO Andrew Abdo confirming at Monday morning's finals launch that a review will be undertaken.

“We haven't changed or reviewed the home finals policy for a while, and I think we're due for that,” Abdo said.

“That will be a conversation we have with the commission at the end of the season.

“There are two things we are trading off. One is being able to play at your regular home stadium, and the other is a good experience for our fans. They're both important."

Abdo admitted there will come a time when a minimum standard needs to be reviewed.

NRL crowds in general are on the up in recent years, with clubs regularly recording bigger crowds since the end of the COVID pandemic than they did before it.

Both Abdo and Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'Landys are big fans of suburban grounds, with Penrith Stadium, Leichhardt and Brookvale among others either already being redeveloped or set to have major work done.

The money secured for those grounds will ensure the regular season continues to be played out of team's backyards, rather than going to a Melbourne-based AFL-style approach, however, there is a feeling in the game that finals at suburban grounds holding fewer than 20,000 fans is simply not a good look for the biggest rugby league competition in the world, and a sport that markets itself as one of the two biggest in Australia.

The Sharks and Roosters game will lock out tens of thousands of members and fans this weekend, while most other suburban grounds in Sydney would do the same.

From Week 2, the current policy says all games must be played on larger grounds. However, with Allianz Stadium about to shut for drainage works, Sydney clubs will only have Accor Stadium at Homebush or CommBank Stadium at Parramatta to choose from this year.

The Canterbury Bulldogs are the only Sydney-based side capable of hosting a final after Week 1, with the other teams in the top four being the Melbourne Storm, Brisbane Broncos and Canberra Raiders, who will all continue to host any finals at their current home grounds.