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AFL wins showdown with league
September 3, 2003
THE AFL has won its finals showdown with the National Rugby League over the use of Telstra Stadium.
The Bulldogs today agreed to stage their home final on Saturday week at the adjacent Sydney Showground to avoid a probable venue clash with the Sydney Swans, who are scheduled to play at the Olympic Stadium on the same night if they lose to Port Adelaide this weekend.
The only two NRL playoff matches which will now be held at Telstra Stadium are the second preliminary final on September 28 and the grand final seven days later.
The NRL held crisis talks with stadium officials last night and this morning to negotiate a solution to the problem that has raised the spectre of cross-code rivalries this week.
But in a slap in the face for rugby league, the Bulldogs have relented and agreed to play at the showground, which has a capacity of just 22,000.
The Swans attracted 72,393 to a Telstra Stadium clash with Collingwood on August 23 while more than 20,000 crammed into the showground last Friday night to watch the `Dogs take on Canberra.
"The Bulldogs basically wanted some certainty about where they were going to be playing," NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley said today.
"If they had been desperate to play at Telstra Stadium, we would have pursued it as vigorously as we could with the stadium (officials).
"But they've made a decision that they want to know where they're playing and therefore they've asked us to go along with playing at the showground."
NRL chief executive David Gallop said after speaking to Bulldogs chief executive Steve Mortimer, he was of the impression the club preferred to play at Sydney Showground.
"My conversation with Steve Mortimer was that that's what their football staff wanted, which includes the coach (Steve Folkes), so irrespective of the position the stadium took, we're comfortable with that."
Mortimer was unavailable for comment but the club issued a press release today.
"Telstra Stadium's refusal to provide certainty surrounding the booking arrangements at this point led the Bulldogs and the NRL to schedule the game at the Sydney Showground, irrespective of the day on which the match falls," said the statement.
AFL chief executive-in waiting Andrew Demetriou said the decision was further proof of Australian Rules' growing clout in the vital Sydney market.
"It won't be the AFL bumping anyone, it will be Telstra Stadium electing to choose the AFL game which says a lot about how significant AFL football is in Sydney today, and how significant it is in the western suburbs of Sydney," he said.
"The investment in Telstra Stadium is a very, very cheap investment for the long-term benefit of football in New South Wales."
Annesley met last night with Telstra Stadium operations manager Daryl Kerry and spoke via phone today to Mortimer and stadium chief executive Ken Edwards.
If the Swans lose to Port Adelaide as expected on Sunday at AAMI Stadium, they will play either Essendon or Fremantle at Telstra Stadium on the evening of September 13.
A clash with the Bombers would probably ensure a crowd of 70,000 or more while a final against the Dockers would likely attract about 50,000.
September 3, 2003
THE AFL has won its finals showdown with the National Rugby League over the use of Telstra Stadium.
The Bulldogs today agreed to stage their home final on Saturday week at the adjacent Sydney Showground to avoid a probable venue clash with the Sydney Swans, who are scheduled to play at the Olympic Stadium on the same night if they lose to Port Adelaide this weekend.
The only two NRL playoff matches which will now be held at Telstra Stadium are the second preliminary final on September 28 and the grand final seven days later.
The NRL held crisis talks with stadium officials last night and this morning to negotiate a solution to the problem that has raised the spectre of cross-code rivalries this week.
But in a slap in the face for rugby league, the Bulldogs have relented and agreed to play at the showground, which has a capacity of just 22,000.
The Swans attracted 72,393 to a Telstra Stadium clash with Collingwood on August 23 while more than 20,000 crammed into the showground last Friday night to watch the `Dogs take on Canberra.
"The Bulldogs basically wanted some certainty about where they were going to be playing," NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley said today.
"If they had been desperate to play at Telstra Stadium, we would have pursued it as vigorously as we could with the stadium (officials).
"But they've made a decision that they want to know where they're playing and therefore they've asked us to go along with playing at the showground."
NRL chief executive David Gallop said after speaking to Bulldogs chief executive Steve Mortimer, he was of the impression the club preferred to play at Sydney Showground.
"My conversation with Steve Mortimer was that that's what their football staff wanted, which includes the coach (Steve Folkes), so irrespective of the position the stadium took, we're comfortable with that."
Mortimer was unavailable for comment but the club issued a press release today.
"Telstra Stadium's refusal to provide certainty surrounding the booking arrangements at this point led the Bulldogs and the NRL to schedule the game at the Sydney Showground, irrespective of the day on which the match falls," said the statement.
AFL chief executive-in waiting Andrew Demetriou said the decision was further proof of Australian Rules' growing clout in the vital Sydney market.
"It won't be the AFL bumping anyone, it will be Telstra Stadium electing to choose the AFL game which says a lot about how significant AFL football is in Sydney today, and how significant it is in the western suburbs of Sydney," he said.
"The investment in Telstra Stadium is a very, very cheap investment for the long-term benefit of football in New South Wales."
Annesley met last night with Telstra Stadium operations manager Daryl Kerry and spoke via phone today to Mortimer and stadium chief executive Ken Edwards.
If the Swans lose to Port Adelaide as expected on Sunday at AAMI Stadium, they will play either Essendon or Fremantle at Telstra Stadium on the evening of September 13.
A clash with the Bombers would probably ensure a crowd of 70,000 or more while a final against the Dockers would likely attract about 50,000.
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