- NRL fails to sell out grand final at Accor Stadium
- Seats are still available for the NRL decider
- AFL final easily sold out the MCG last weekend
The big day is here and NRL Grand Final 2024 promises to be one of the most explosive yet – but one fan has pointed out a big difference between it and the AFL decider.
It’s a huge day of footy at Accor Stadium in Sydney as the Panthers look to carve their names in the history books with a record fourth consecutive NRL title.
But the Storm are not going to hand it over easily, looking to etch their own names in folklore after already beating the Panthers in 2020 and looking to create a dynasty of their own.
However, just hours ahead of kickoff on Sunday there’s still available seating at the stadium.
On the other hand, the AFL final last weekend at the MCG was completely sold out and drew 1000,013 fans.
Sports reporter, and footy fan, Jack Fulham took to social media to explain, posting: ‘It’s 3:49pm on NRL Grand Final Day and I can still easily buy a ticket to the game. An 82,000 seat stadium not sold out for the big dance.
‘Last weekend 100,000 filled the MCG for AFL GF and you could have sold another 100k tickets (for an all interstate match up).’
Fulham wasn’t the only fan commenting on the issue, either.
The NRL decider at Accor Stadium has failed to sell out
The AFL decider at the MCG between interstate fans easily sold out
‘I’ve lived in Sydney a fair while and love rugby league but the AFL side of my brain cannot comprehend a grand final not being sold out,’ commented an X user.
‘Tickets still being available for their Grand Final is the exact reason NRL doesn’t get any respect from the AFL community. It’s a farmers league,’ posted another.
Penrith are 80 minutes away from being crowned the greatest rugby league side in almost 60 years, and joining an elite group in world sport.
Not since the great St George side of last century has a team stood this close to four straight titles, after their record run off 11 between 1956 and 1966.
Sunday’s grand final between the Panthers and Melbourne looms as a potential classic – a meeting of two heavyweights and the clear stand-outs this year.
For the Storm, Sunday’s clash at Accor Stadium is a chance to crown a new era with their star-studded spine aiming for the first title since the retirement of Cameron Smith.
For Penrith, it is another shot at history after already becoming the first team to reach five consecutive grand finals in more that 50 years.
Penrith are chasing a historic four-peat in the NRL final when they take on the Storm
While they equalled Parramatta’s three consecutive titles of 1981-1983 last year, only South Sydney (1925-1929) and the famous Dragons team have won at least four straight.
More remarkable is where Penrith’s feat would stand on a national and global scale.
No team in a fully professional Australian sporting league has won four straight titles this century, with three regularly being the limit in the AFL, NBL and Sheffield Shield.
In women’s cricket the semi-professional NSW Breakers won 10 straight 50-over titles between 2005-06 and 2014-15, but that came at a time where most other states were still on amateur-level pay.
Globally, four-peats have also been reserved for the very best.
No team has won the Super Bowl for four straight years, while the World Series, NBA and Stanley Cup haven’t had four-time champions since the 1970s, 1960s and 1950s respectively.
A win on Sunday would put Penrith on the levels of Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain in the major European football leagues this century and the Crusaders in Super Rugby.
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