General manager of Suncorp Stadium Alan Graham says the Brisbane venue will be ready to host the 2022 NRL Grand Final should the showpiece be moved from Sydney.
The NRL is yet to confirm the host of the decider this year despite having a contract with the NSW government to keep the game in the Harbour City until 2042.
While the deal was agreed to in 2018, the NSW government has since backflipped on some of the finer details on their side including refurbishing multiple local stadiums, leading the NRL to threaten to move the game to the Sunshine State.
Although it’s believed that the game will remain at Accor Stadium, Graham says Suncorp Stadium will be ready to “rock and roll” should they be asked to host the game.
“We definitely are (ready), but I’m not sure where that’s all going to head,” Graham said on SEN 1170 Mornings.
“There’s obviously still more discussions between the NRL and NSW government.
“We haven’t been contacted at all, but if it did work out that way we’d be definitely ready to rock and roll.”
Graham says the NRL hasn’t contacted anyone involved at Suncorp Stadium yet as talks with the NSW government continue.
“No, not at this stage,” Graham said.
“As I’ve said based on what I’m reading, there’s still some discussions to be had there.
“I guess we’ll wait and see what happens with those and where the NRL ends up going with the Grand Final.”
Although they’re yet to be approached, Graham is certain stadium operators won’t need long to host the big game after Suncorp Stadium was the venue of the 2021 Grand Final after COVID ruined Sydney’s plans.
“We often have to put events on very quickly as a lot of stadiums do around the country,” Graham said.
“I think one of the benefits we’ve got from a Grand Final point of view is that we come fresh from a Grand Final last year.
“We’ve got a template and a blueprint already, so there wouldn’t be a lot of work required to dust all of that of this year if it were to happen.
“We could do that in a matter of days and turn it around in a week without much trouble.”
According to reports, a decision on where the NRL Grand Final will be played is set to be announced imminently.