QLD to miss out on Four Nations Final because of G20

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G20 Summit robs Queensland rugby league supporters of Four Nations final

With the countdown to the 2014 NRL season well underway, several clubs loom as contenders for the title.

THE G20 Summit is set to rob rugby league-mad Queenslanders of a major sporting event.

The Four Nations final had been scheduled for Suncorp Stadium on the same weekend as the G20 leaders’ forum but as the stadium falls inside the lockdown zone no one is allowed to be there.

ARL Commission and stadium officials are gutted as it would have guaranteed a 52,000 sell out to watch a likely match-up between Australia and New Zealand.

While Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin will be denied the chance to witness the intensity of a league Test first hand.

The ARLC have desperately tried to work around the G20 lockdown laws but have only hit roadblocks.

There is still hope, with the Commission attempting to re-work the dates of the entire four-week tournament so the final can be held in Brisbane.


The G20 Forum on November 15 and 16 will see 4000 delegates and 3000 media representatives flood the city, with the State Government introducing legislation setting out “declared” and “restricted” areas.

Suncorp Stadium is among the restricted areas.

The Four Nations tournament is scheduled to kick off on October 25 and features the Kangaroos, Kiwis, England and the winner of April’s Test between Fiji and Samoa.

Unless the dates can be changed, the Commission would be forced to move it to Sydney’s Allianz Stadium with a crowd of only 40,000

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That would be a significant revenue loss.

Suncorp Stadium general manager Alan Graham said there was still hope the final could be held in Brisbane.

“We are still in active discussions with the ARLC,” he said.

“The game is not lost. We hope the dates can be changed.

“They are aware what the G20 means for Brisbane.

“Hopefully it does not have to be held on the same date as the G20.”

During the weekend that the Four Nations final was schedule for Brisbane, the nation’s leaders will converge on the river city.

If the game was able to go ahead it would be a brilliant chance to showcase league to an international audience.

An NRL spokesman said no dates were locked in for the tournament except for one Test in Melbourne.

“At this stage we haven’t confirmed venues or timings for Four Nations. We will know dates within the next week,” the spokesman said.

The Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier forum for international economic cooperation and decision-making featuring leaders from 19 countries plus the European Union.

Residents living near the G20 “restricted zone” around South Bank have been told they will not be able to leave or enter their homes when any of the 28 leaders are on the move.

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I'm fine with it being in Sydney. Brisbane has had enough Finals.

Although I find it amusing how the paper is worried about a 40,000 crowd in Sydney for an international match!