I reckon the NRL grand final told us three things: Nathan Cleary has a great kicking game, the Rabbitohs missed Latrell Mitchell, and it is a crying shame that Queensland won’t get another grand final for at least 25 years...

Seeing what a spectacular event Suncorp Stadium put on last Sunday and witnessing the way Queenslanders got behind the game even without a local team taking part, reinforced to me just how unfair it is that Sydney has the game locked up year after year.

We all know that if not for the COVID pandemic Brisbane wouldn’t have had a snowball’s chance in hell of hosting the big game. We also know that if not for Queensland, the NRL wouldn’t have had a competition for the last two years.

The granting of the grand final to Suncorp Stadium could be seen by some as a reward for the safe haven that the state has given the game these past two seasons. It could also be seen as desperation. There was simply no alternative.

Besides, bringing a grand final to Queensland shouldn’t be seen as a one-off payback for one or two seasons of support. It should come to Queensland regularly as part of a national competition. A national competition which Queensland and Queenslanders have propped up for decades.

Where would rugby league be now if not for the early success of State of Origin – and who was responsible for that success? Where would the game be in its rivalry with the AFL if not for the interest generated by the Broncos, Cowboys and Titans? And which state has produced nine of the last 13 Dally M medal winners?

Everyone knows that Queensland is the beating heart of rugby league in this country, yet the game’s showpiece has been sold to Sydney for the next quarter of a century. I reckon that’s just not right.

What do YOU reckon?

Agree – Sunday’s grand final was a great spectacle and Queensland deserves to have it here on a regular basis, just like with Origin.
 
Disagree – The grand final has always been played in Sydney and the NRL has made a deal with the NSW government to get better facilities down there. It’s business, get over it.