Here is food for thought from the Brisbane media:
The gush of emotion surrounding Queensland rugby's return to Ballymore on Saturday night will have the sentimental souls howling for a return to the glory days of beer on the hill and blood on the turf.
But the inevitable mist of reverence won't hide the fact Ballymore remains a financial black hole for the QRU.
And when the din of Reds diehards dies down, the future of one of the state's great white elephants may be found in the beating heart of rugby league territory, or perhaps the Sherrin-soaked suburbs of AFL-mad Melbourne.
Ballymore will host the Super 14 clash between the Reds and Auckland Blues on Saturday night, with the creaking stands and rowdy hill likely to be pulsating with a tribal atmosphere many feel is vacant at Queensland's regular ground, the 52,000-seat Suncorp Stadium, which has been home to the Reds since 2006.
Finding a solution to the stadium drama is top of the agenda for new chief executive Jim Carmichael, who has said he will assess all options to steady the listless venue and plug the leak in the Union's bottom line.
But the QRU is far from alone in having a rundown suburban home ground on its hands while playing games out of a shiny new venue. It's the same conundrum that has been tackled by a number of rugby league and AFL clubs south of the border, which may yet hold the blueprint for the 20,000-capacity former Test venue's future.
The current trend in Sydney and Melbourne is a back-to-basics approach that opens grounds to the public and local community, a vision that has come to fruition at South Sydney's Redfern Oval, North Melbourne's Arden St base and Punt Road, home of the Richmond Tigers.
All three have slashed the capacity of the grounds, instead focusing on an elite training and administration base and facilities that give some benefit to the public and surrounding residents.
The theory stands that local government is more inclined to dip into its pockets if they are going to see a return for the suburb and its inhabitants, not just an elite sporting franchise.
Redfern's $20 million facelift, for example, includes physio rooms, ice baths, a theatre, honour boards, conference rooms and a cafe. The grandstands have been replaced by a 2000-seat stand, although as many as 8000 people can be accommodated for trial games or major events. The gate between the field and the adjoining public park is almost always open.
Similarly, Punt Road was given new life with a community gym, indoor sports centre, meeting rooms, lecture theatre, museum and a $6.75 million Institute for Indigenous Learning and Skills Development.
"A community accessible, grassroots-focused facility is absolutely the trend across the country and is something the QRU, I suspect, is looking at," says Chris Green from consulting group ISFM, which produced the masterplan for Redfern Oval after being engaged by the City of Sydney.
"You do need the modern facility, like Suncorp - as long as you've done a good stadium deal - and you need a modern training and administration base that captures the history and the essence and the culture of what the QRU and the Reds have been for decades."
A vocal group of Rabbitohs stakeholders, lead by club icon George Piggins, had pushed hard for a boutique 20,000-stadium before the current plans were given the green light. It's likely there would be a similar outcry if the Ballymore stands were threatened with bulldozers, although Green says the critics at Redfern are now converts.
"The former players have been thrilled when they came back to Redfern because we've payed absolute respect to the history of the place and have spent a lot of money on historical artefacts, team portraits; honour boards have been restored and look better than ever."
ISFM, which is owned by Peter Holmes a Court, have previously touched base with the QRU but like any number of interested observers, are waiting on the outcome of a development proposal currently before Brisbane City Council.
Holmes a Court also sits on the board of Queensland Rail, the Reds' major sponsor, and co-owns the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
The development applications still before council concerns an ambitious upgrade to build a sports academy and medical centre, refurbish the McLean Stand, construct a third training field as well as a pool. Regardless of whether the final construction follows this exact design, the QRU says Ballymore's use will always primarily revolve around sport and recreation.
Brisbane City Council has requested clarification on a number of issues regarding the plan, meaning there is unlikely to be a decision until the middle of the year.
More than 1000 submissions were received surrounding the application, many from local residents whose relationship with the QRU has become toxic since the idea was first floated. Local councillor David Hinchliffe is staying silent until the QRU fill in the gaps.
"There are obviously significant concerns from the local area to it and I want to see what Ballymore has to say in response to the council list of requests," Cr Hinchliffe said.
The QRU met a fierce backlash from residents concerning its original proposal. Tony Edwards, one of the public faces of the protests, said the main gripe was what he perceived as the blatant commercialisation of a tract of land that was designated for use as a sporting facility.
"It was very clear they were looking for new income streams to support their rugby. Really it was to try and support their pursuit," Edwards said. "It was a pseudo-corporate business park under the guise of having a sporting relationship. There's no objection to playing rugby there at all. Never has been."
Edwards said he, for one, was happy to rekindle dialogue with the QRU over its plans for Ballymore. He said a community focused approach, which has been embraced in Sydney and Melbourne, may be an option but given Ballymore's residential surrounds, there was no "one size fits all" solution.
"It really depends on the sensitivity of the area. Ballymore is very residential - tree-lined streets and houses. The problem with Ballymore was it sort of happened rather than being planned," he said.
Prior to the start of the Super 14 season, Carmichael - who was poached by the Reds from the AFL - made it clear every option was on the table for Ballymore and its future was crucial to the success of Queensland rugby.
Tellingly, that future may - or may not - include the current stadium.
"I believe that it's very important in the case of Ballymore, now that we're developing community assets here, to also look at what the Ballymore stadium means to us," he told brisbanetimes.com.au.
"When I look at it I see an asset over there that has another life that needs to be considered as well. And that may or may not be the re-development of the stadium.
"My view is if we don't get this right it will be an absolute tragedy. We are reconsidering the master plan... we will look hard at what all the different combinations can be."
On Saturday night, the cries of "Back to Ballymore" will be shouted to the heavens. Logistics and budgets will be trampled under a rolling maul of tradition and infectious enthusiasm for a return to the heartland of Queensland rugby.
Against the visiting Blues, the Reds are guaranteed a result, one way or another. Off the field, the outcome of the battle for Ballymore remains far less certain.
