NRL legend Phil Gould has called on the league to consider shifting the Sharks vs Roosters elimination final from Shark Park to Allianz Stadium “in the best interest of the game”, as thousands of fans face the prospect of being locked out amidst renovations.
The decision to allow the Sharks to play at PointsBet Stadium, their home ground, despite it undergoing major renovations, means the 45,000-capacity Allianz Stadium is left empty this weekend, as well as CommBank Stadium in Sydney’s west.
“The NRL should at all times reserve the right to move a finals match if they believe it’s in the best interest of the game,” Gould said on Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
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“I’m quite sure if that they move Roosters and Sharks to Parramatta (CommBank) stadium, they would fill the stadium. It would be a great atmosphere and it doesn’t favour anyone.
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“In this case, particularly with the works going on at Shark Park and the fact that it’s under-resourced anyway, I think it’s a bit silly for the game to be played there.”
Gould, who made 103 first-grade appearances across four clubs in his playing career, explained the “thrill” of playing finals at bigger, neutral venues.
“For me, the thrill of being in the finals was playing on the big ground. I don’t know whether any ground has that type of aura about that anymore,” Gould said.
“There’s this thing about home ground advantage that will get you across the line. I don’t think it’s going to help the Shark on the weekend.”
Podcast host Mat Thompson added his opinion to the debate, which has seen Sharks captain Wade Graham take aim at the NSW government amid furore over the decision to allow finals matches at suburban grounds.
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“We’ve got Allianz costing us god knows how much and it’s not even being used,” Thompson said.
Thompson questioned if Gould believes the league would move other games if it firstly shifted the Sharks and Roosters.
Gould explained that the league should consider deciding finals venues based on club sizes, further urging the NRL to do what will benefit the game the most.
”It depends, Penrith are playing an out-of-town team. If the Sharks were playing the Cowboys, that’s fine, fill up Shark Park. Because if you took it to Allianz or Accor, you’re only going to get 15, 20 thousand and it’s going to look half empty,” Gould said.
“If Panthers say play Parramatta in a semi-final, they should be playing that at Accor and getting 50,000.
”Mind you, for television it will look great (playing at Shark Park).”
The Sharks host the Roosters on Saturday night at PointsBet Stadium, for a spot in the semi-finals.