- NRL fails to sell out grand final at Accor Stadium
- Seats still available for NRL decider
- The AFL final easily sold out the MCG last weekend
The big day is here 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 it and the AFL final.
It’s a big day of football at Sydney’s Accor Stadium as the Panthers look to etch their names in the history books with a record fourth consecutive NRL title.
But the Storm are not going to give up easily, looking to etch their own names in folklore after beating the Panthers in 2020 and looking to create a dynasty of their own.
However, just a few hours before kick-off on Sunday there are still seats available in the stadium.
Elsewhere, last weekend’s AFL final at the MCG was sold out, attracting 1,000,013 fans.
Sports journalist and football fan Jack Fulham took to social media to explain, posting: “It’s 3.49pm on the day of the NRL grand final and I can still easily buy a ticket for the match.” A stadium with a capacity of 82,000 spectators was not sold out for the big ball.
“Last weekend 100,000 people packed the AFL GF MCG and another 100,000 tickets could have been sold (for an interstate match).”
Fulham were not the only fans to comment on the issue either.
NRL decider at Accor Stadium not sold out
AFL decider at MCG among interstate fans easily sold out
“I’ve lived in Sydney for quite a while and I love rugby league, but the AFL part of my brain can’t comprehend a sold-out grand final,” one X user commented.
‘Tickets still being available for their Grand Final is the exact reason why the NRL gets no respect from the AFL community. “It’s a farmers’ league,” posted another.
Penrith are 80 minutes away from being crowned the best rugby league team in almost 60 years and joining an elite group in global sport.
Not since the great St George’s of the last century has a team come so close to four consecutive titles, after their record 11 between 1956 and 1966.
Sunday’s grand final between the Panthers and Melbourne is shaping up to be a potential classic – a meeting between two heavyweights and this year’s clear standouts.
For the Storm, Sunday’s clash at Accor Stadium is a chance to cap a new era with their star-studded column aiming for a first title since Cameron Smith’s retirement.
For Penrith, it is another chance to make history after already becoming the first team to reach five consecutive grand finals in more than 50 years.
Penrith chase historic fourth NRL finals title 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 in a row.
More notable is where Penrith’s feat would rank on a national and global scale.
No team in a fully professional Australian sporting league has won four consecutive titles this century, with three being the usual limit in the AFL, NBL and Sheffield Shield.
In women’s cricket, the semi-professional NSW Breakers won 10 consecutive 50-over titles between 2005-06 and 2014-15, but that came at a time when most other states were still receiving amateur-level salaries.
At the global level, the four positions have also been reserved for the best.
No team has won the Super Bowl for four consecutive years, while the World Series, NBA and Stanley Cup have not had four-time champions since the 1970s, 1960s and 1950s, respectively.
A win on Sunday would put Penrith level with Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain in this century’s major European football leagues and the Crusaders in Super Rugby.
