Bold Gold Coast plot to steal Origin game

Bold Gold Coast plot to steal Origin game

AAP
Tue 16th July, 3:51am


Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate is plotting to steal a State of Origin game from Brisbane and host rugby league's showpiece event at a revamped Metricon Stadium at Carrara, according to a News Limited report.

With the Gold Coast to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games, The Courier Mail newspaper says Tate has written to the ARL Commission to begin negotiations to host one of the interstate showdowns in the lead-up.

The mayor has outlined a big-match blueprint for the tourist strip, which includes hosting a rugby league Test within the next two years against New Zealand or Papua New Guinea, before landing an Origin clash on the eve of the Games.

The Courier Mail is reporting local civic leaders are desperate to secure sporting blockbusters to test the Gold Coast's ability to cope with huge crowds anticipated during the Commonwealth Games.

Skilled Park at Robina has already hosted a World Cup rugby league match, Indigenous All Stars games and a rugby union Test between the Wallabies and Argentina but, with a capacity of just 27,000, it would not be able to handle an Origin epic, which routinely sells out the 52,000-capacity Suncorp Stadium.

Metricon Stadium will be upgraded to hold more than 40,000 fans for the Games and looms as the most likely venue for any Origin match.

With the Victorian government already successful in luring an Origin match for a number of alternating years, Tate said he saw no reason why the Gold Coast couldn't follow suit.

"Let's think big. We don't want to be fazed about hosting major world-class events.

"And in any event, I think people in Brisbane would much rather see a game come here than be played in Melbourne."

Tate will also write to the Australian Rugby Union hoping to secure a Test against New Zealand or South Africa closer to the Games.

A Queensland Rugby League spokesman said it was too early to comment on the chances of Origin being shifted from Brisbane.

"Any proposal would have to be looked at by the QRL board," he said.

I always think that somehow someway Origins should be taken to Newcastle, Gold Coast and Townsville.

It is STATE of Origin not City of Origin.

Maybe we will have to wait until facilities catch up. But we should do it one day although the series is becoming increasingly corporatised.

Theoretically speaking, if Origin was to be played at Metricon... I may be wrong but wouldn't the Suns make a quid for all the game day turn around?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Boofhead

Theoretically speaking, if Origin was to be played at Metricon... I may be wrong but wouldn't the Suns make a quid for all the game day turn around?

---

Never understood how they can make money from that stadium deal while we had (have?) so many problems with high rental fees or whatever. Just seems ridiculous.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kioli

Never understood how they can make money from that stadium deal while we had (have?) so many problems with high rental fees or whatever. Just seems ridiculous.

---

Did a little research into this and it all has to do with the fact that the Suns have "management rights" of Metricon. It's a good and bad thing. They basically have to pay operation costs all year round but they only use the stadium 6-7 months of the year. Therefore, they'll need to schedule events in the off season to ensure they turn a profit each year and they captured a huge profit making event when they signed the Big Day Out up for the next 5 years earlier this year. There is also the option of starting a Big Bash League Cricket team in the future. Essentially, they are in a pretty good spot financially right now and for the future. To answer Boofhead's question, yes the Suns would make a big profit if the Origin was held at Metricon.

From what I have been able to find, the Titans are just normal tenants of Skilled Park and pay rent to use the stadium. The Queensland government has been notorious for making sports teams pay high rent to use their stadiums in the past and it looks like we just signed whatever deal was put in front of us when we moved to Skilled. David May claimed he re-worked the deal but it still required 15,000 paying attendees to turn a profit on game day. Not a great deal if you ask me. Maybe some day in the future the Titans could look into moving back to Carrara? I know a lot of people will hate the idea but I'm sure we could get a better deal there and the stadium will hold 40,000 seats in the future so there are some advantages to looking into it.

Perhaps licensed facilities and a club environment at Skilled would help?

would love to have an origin game on the coast would be great for the community and us titans fans that live local

The QLD Government really ####ed Rugby League with these two stadium deals. Grossly unfair.