“Dom and I,I believe we are friends – well,we were up until a couple of weeks ago,” V’landys said. “Dom is a very good premier,he is a good human being. But don’t have a bet with him because if you win he won’t pay you.”
After this season’s decider,all bets are off. The parties couldn’t agree beyond this year’s grand final,which will result in the event being put out to tender,much like the jewel in the NFL’s crown,the Super Bowl. The public and the participants may be weary from the wrangling,but it will soon recommence.
The Panthers celebrate with the NRL premiership trophy after victory in the 2021 grand final in Brisbane.Credit:Getty
For now,the showpiece event remains in its spiritual home,but it was a close-run thing.
“If you asked me yesterday at 3pm,the favourite was Queensland,” V’landys said. “I don’t know the exact time,but the negotiations continued into today.”
Abdo was quizzed about the grand final at the NRLW launch on Wednesday morning. At the same time,perhaps pointedly,Perrottet was in Lismore discussing plans for flood relief.
“We don’t want to be pitted against the flood victims,I don’t think that’s appropriate,” V’landys said after a deal was belatedly done.
“We are the first ones to want to help the flood victims and we did,we deferred our[season] launch this year to give all that money to the flood victims.
“The NSW government has a $123 billion infrastructure spend;ours is $300 million. It’s not even a drop in the bucket,it’s not even a rounding error. To say that it was needed for flood victims is a bit rich.”
The larger issue of whether the government will honour previous commitments to fund stadium infrastructure remains unresolved. The NRL has dropped its threat of legal action and is pinning hopes on a fair price being paid for future premium content.
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“It’s one of the major events in Sydney,” V’landys said of the grand final.
“Other than The Everest,which is a horse race,what else has[Sydney] got? You name another major sporting event in Sydney;in Melbourne you can name six.
“The only other one I can name is the New Year’s cricket Test. And if it’s a dead rubber by then - depending on which country we play - it’s not a major event.”
Not for the first time,stadium infrastructure could become an election issue. In about seven months’ time,V’landys will exercise his democratic right at the ballot box. Who will he vote for in the next state election?
“I always keep my political views close to my chest,” he said.
One thing is for sure,V’landys won’t be late to the ballot box.
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