Final can be played at Manly

[manlyfan76]

Week one could be played at Manly

Finals footy is set to return to suburban grounds for the first time in almost a decade with relevant clubs to be given options on where they host week one qualifying finals.

The knockdown of Allianz Stadium and emergence of Bankwest Stadium as an elite venue has prompted the NRL to scrap its policy of Sydney finals being played at either Moore Park or ANZ Stadium, starting this season.
In recent years the edict that clubs such as the Sea Eagles, Sharks and Panthers must host finals games at Allianz Stadium or ANZ Stadium has delivered the opposite, underwhelming turnouts that the NRL now views as the greater of two evils.

Week one of the finals in 2017 drew just over 75,000 fans to four high-class games, and with Allianz Stadium not available this year, the NRL is wary of a side like Cronulla or Manly being forced to play out of the Olympic precinct.

As a result traditional venues including Lottoland (Manly), PointsBet Stadium (Cronulla), Panthers Stadium, and the home grounds of Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra will be available to home sides should they earn hosting rights in week one by finishing first, second, fifth or sixth.

Josh Dugan scores at PointsBet Stadium.©Grant Trouville/NRL Photos
Sydney clubs can also take games to the new Bankwest Stadium, home to the Eels, or ANZ Stadium or the SCG, where the Roosters are slated to host their home finals.

"There was an opportunity to change the way we think about the finals series venues with Allianz Stadium not available and further challenges ahead with the redevelopment of ANZ Stadium," NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said.

"Clearly Bankwest Stadium will be a great option for us for the finals series this year but it will also be wonderful to see the potential for our week one finals matches to return to suburban settings

 

[Chip and Chase]

If we make semis this year we may get a home game. How good would that be


Finals footy returns to suburban grounds in 2019
Author
Dan WalshNRL.com Reporter
Timestamp
Fri 10 May 2019, 01:01 PM

Finals footy is set to return to suburban grounds for the first time in almost a decade with relevant clubs to be given options on where they host week one qualifying finals.

The knockdown of Allianz Stadium and emergence of Bankwest Stadium as an elite venue has prompted the NRL to scrap its policy of Sydney finals being played at either Moore Park or ANZ Stadium, starting this season.

Not since 2010 has a suburban ground hosted a finals fixture, after thousands of fans were locked out of a sold-out Jubilee Oval when Jarryd Hayne's Parramatta carved up the Dragons a year earlier.

In recent years the edict that clubs such as the Sea Eagles, Sharks and Panthers must host finals games at Allianz Stadium or ANZ Stadium has delivered the opposite, underwhelming turnouts that the NRL now views as the greater of two evils.

Week one of the finals in 2017 drew just over 75,000 fans to four high-class games, and with Allianz Stadium not available this year, the NRL is wary of a side like Cronulla or Manly being forced to play out of the Olympic precinct.

As a result traditional venues including Lottoland (Manly), PointsBet Stadium (Cronulla), Panthers Stadium, and the home grounds of Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra will be available to home sides should they earn hosting rights in week one by finishing first, second, fifth or sixth.
Sydney clubs can also take games to the new Bankwest Stadium, home to the Eels, or ANZ Stadium or the SCG, where the Roosters are slated to host their home finals.

"There was an opportunity to change the way we think about the finals series venues with Allianz Stadium not available and further challenges ahead with the redevelopment of ANZ Stadium," NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said.

"Clearly Bankwest Stadium will be a great option for us for the finals series this year but it will also be wonderful to see the potential for our week one finals matches to return to suburban settings.

"This will be in place for the 2019 finals series. Once we have the full Sydney stadia network back online we will reassess again."

The NRL has also relaxed similar protocol regarding grand final qualifiers for Newcastle and Canberra, with both regional centres now able to host preliminary finals should either the Knights or Raiders earn the right.

Under previous rules both sides would have hosted week three fixtures at ANZ Stadium or Allianz, protocol that remains in place for Sydney sides.

Brisbane, Melbourne, Gold Coast and the Warriors can all still host finals fixtures as per usual, while North Queensland's new stadium also now allows the Cowboys home ground advantage in week one.

The new finals policy regarding suburban grounds is expected to remain in place until at least 2022, when Allianz Stadium's rebuild is completed.


Head office has included two caveats to a suburban ground hosting a finals fixture; that the playing surface be up to an appropriate standard, and that the home club cover the cost of any necessary infrastructure needed such as additional commentary boxes.

The move will increase scrutiny at Lottoland and the Dragons' Kogarah base Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.

Manly's Brookvale fortress has attracted criticism for several years now, with a pre-season game and A-League fixture shifted due to poor pitch conditions.

Six weeks ago the NRL commissioned an independent report into the Lottoland playing surface to determine if the Sea Eagles round four clash with Souths could go ahead.

That scrutiny prompted a $1.2 million investment from the Northern Beaches Council, who leases the ground to the club.

Kogarah's pitch also came under the microscope when the Dragons had to move their own pre-season trial at the 11th hour after several A-League and football fixtures placed extra strain on the playing surface.

 

[EaglesDontTweet]

Credit where credit's due. Well done to the NRL for listening to the fans, even though that isn't the actual reason (I just wanted to say it once).🙂

 

[HappilyManly]

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...&utm_source=DailyTelegraph&utm_medium=Twitter

Boost for clubs, fans as NRL finals return to suburban grounds
Phil Rothfield,

NRL finals are returning to Sydney’s suburban grounds this season in a massive boost for the Manly Sea Eagles, Cronulla Sharks, Penrith Panthers and St George Illawarra Dragons.

With Allianz Stadium unavailable for the next three years, NRL boss Todd Greenberg told the chief executive’s conference in Brisbane today that Brookvale, Shark Park, Panthers Stadium and Kogarah Oval or WIN Stadium in Wollongong could host week-one finals matches.

The NRL has also revealed regional clubs in Newcastle, Canberra and Townsville will get grand final qualifiers if their teams earn the right to host preliminary finals.

Suburban grounds were abandoned for finals football more than a decade ago to accommodate bigger crowds at the stadiums.

.
It ended up being a bad look for the game with fans rejecting Allianz and ANZ Stadiums, leaving the TV networks with a huge backdrop of empty seats.
----
Get it done Manly

 

[manlyfan76]

Greenberg can still knock us back.

 

[pt73]

The NRL website has a picture of Jake, Siro and Garrick walking around Brooky after our last win.

As my son said "even the NRL knows we'll make the 8 this year"

Smart boy.

 

[The better Robbo]

Week one could be played at Manly

Finals footy is set to return to suburban grounds for the first time in almost a decade with relevant clubs to be given options on where they host week one qualifying finals.

The knockdown of Allianz Stadium and emergence of Bankwest Stadium as an elite venue has prompted the NRL to scrap its policy of Sydney finals being played at either Moore Park or ANZ Stadium, starting this season.
In recent years the edict that clubs such as the Sea Eagles, Sharks and Panthers must host finals games at Allianz Stadium or ANZ Stadium has delivered the opposite, underwhelming turnouts that the NRL now views as the greater of two evils.

Week one of the finals in 2017 drew just over 75,000 fans to four high-class games, and with Allianz Stadium not available this year, the NRL is wary of a side like Cronulla or Manly being forced to play out of the Olympic precinct.

As a result traditional venues including Lottoland (Manly), PointsBet Stadium (Cronulla), Panthers Stadium, and the home grounds of Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra will be available to home sides should they earn hosting rights in week one by finishing first, second, fifth or sixth.

Josh Dugan scores at PointsBet Stadium.©Grant Trouville/NRL Photos
Sydney clubs can also take games to the new Bankwest Stadium, home to the Eels, or ANZ Stadium or the SCG, where the Roosters are slated to host their home finals.

"There was an opportunity to change the way we think about the finals series venues with Allianz Stadium not available and further challenges ahead with the redevelopment of ANZ Stadium," NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said.

"Clearly Bankwest Stadium will be a great option for us for the finals series this year but it will also be wonderful to see the potential for our week one finals matches to return to suburban settings

Should be for week 1 and week 2

 

[dowdz]

This is great news and the only smart thing the NRL have done in a while. Have great memories of Brookie finals, especially the last one against South's. What a great night that was. I will fly down from the Goldie for a Brookie final.

 

[Dan]

About friggin time....If manly get a home final the turn out will be incredible at brookie, and a packed 20k brrokie is far better than an empty 10k Olympic

 

[Harmless27]

This would be very disappointing. What on earth will the telecrap be able to bag us out for during week 1 of finals????

I still think of the 'battle of brookvale' as the most electric night game atmosphere I have experienced at an NRL game outside of a GF

 

[Nice Beaver]

The ONLY reason they are allowing this is because Alliance has been knocked down.

Let's not delude ourselves that the NRL are doing this from a common sense perspective.

 

[HappilyManly]

Should be for week 1 and week 2

We'll win in wk1 and rest up in wk2

Last Brookie final I recall is beating the Drags 😀

 

[DUFFMAN]

The ONLY reason they are allowing this is because Alliance has been knocked down.

Let's not delude ourselves that the NRL are doing this from a common sense perspective.

Yeap, all smoke and mirrors to pat themselves on the back.
Once the SFS is rebuilt finals games won't be played at local grounds. The NRL and Liberals would have signed off on that Sydney finals be played there after the rebuild.

 

[davohan123]

Think the other 15 teams would hate this.
Brookvale Oval week one of the finals if 2007 vs Souths and 2008 vs dragons is an indication teams would hate this.
Seriously I think we benefit most from this decision.
I can see us finishing sixth.
Des will use this announcement as motivation, week 1 final at home.

 

[eagle66]

Let's have some clarity. The NRL have relaxed this concept (a) no Allianz (b) to allow Parramatta to use BankWest for their possible game.

 

[ALinda]

Despite only being temporary for 3 years, this is still awesome news. Finals footy really should be permanently at suburban grounds but we'll enjoy it while we can

Along with Walkz news today, all we need now is a win at Suncorp tonight and happy days

 

[HappilyManly]

Despite only being temporary for 3 years, this is still awesome news. Finals footy really should be permanently at suburban grounds but we'll enjoy it while we can

Along with Walkz news today, all we need now is a win at Suncorp tonight and happy days

By year 4 Brookie will have the COE northern stand built

 

[Shoe1]

That’s nice enough, but I won’t be satisfied until the grand final is played at brookie.

 

[Shoe1]

And we win it

 

[Briza]

That’s nice enough, but I won’t be satisfied until the grand final is played at brookie.

And we win it

In our new $750m 30 000 seat stadium