- NRL fails to sell out grand final at Accor Stadium
- There are still seats available for the NRL decider
- The AFL final easily sold out the MCG last weekend
The big day has arrived and the 2024 NRL Grand Final promises to be one of the most explosive yet, but one fan has pointed out a big difference between this day and the AFL decider.
It’s a huge day of football at Sydney’s Accor Stadium as the Panthers look to write their names in the history books with a record fourth consecutive NRL title.
But the Storm won’t hand it over easily as they look to etch their own name into folklore after already beating the Panthers in 2020 and create a dynasty of their own.
However, there are still seats available in the stadium several hours before kick-off on Sunday.
On the other hand, last weekend’s AFL final at the MCG was a complete sell-out and attracted 1000,013 fans.
Sports reporter and football fan Jack Fulham took to social media to explain, writing: ‘It’s 3.49pm on NRL Grand Final Day and I can still easily buy a ticket to the match. An 82,000-seat stadium isn’t sold out for the big dance.
“Last weekend 100,000 filled the MCG for AFL GF and you could have sold another 100,000 tickets (for an all-interstate match).”
Fulham weren’t the only fans to comment on the issue either.
The NRL decider at Accor Stadium failed to sell out
The AFL decider at the MCG between interstate fans was easily sold out
“I’ve lived in Sydney for a while and love rugby league, but the AFL side of my brain can’t understand why a grand final isn’t sold out,” said one X user.
“The fact that tickets are still available for their grand final is exactly why NRL doesn’t get any respect from the AFL community. It’s a farmer’s union,” wrote another.
There are just 80 minutes left before Penrith is crowned the best rugby league in almost 60 years and joins an elite group in world sport.
Not since the great St. George team of the last century has a team come this close to four straight titles, following their record 11 between 1956 and 1966.
Sunday’s grand final between the Panthers and Melbourne looms as a potential classic: a meeting between two heavyweights and the clear standouts this year.
For the Storm, Sunday’s match at Accor Stadium is a chance to crown a new era, with their star-studded backbone aiming for a first title since the retirement of Cameron Smith.
It is another shot into history for Penrith, having already become the first team to reach five consecutive grand finals in more than 50 years.
Penrith are chasing a historic four-peat in the NRL final when they take on the Storm
While last year they equaled Parramatta’s three consecutive titles from 1981-1983, only South Sydney (1925-1929) and the famous Dragons team have won at least four consecutive titles.
More remarkable is where Penrith’s performance would rank on a national and global scale.
No team in a fully professional Australian sporting league has won four titles in a row 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 ten consecutive 50-over titles between 2005-06 and 2014-15, but that came at a time when most other states were still paying at amateur level.
Worldwide, four-peat varieties are also reserved for the very best.
No team has won the Super Bowl four years in a row, while the World Series, NBA and Stanley Cup haven’t had a four-time champion since the 1970s, ’60s and ’50s, respectively.
A win on Sunday would put Penrith on par with Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain in the major European football competitions of this century and the Crusaders in Super Rugby.
