Matildas-style live sites planned for locked out Sharks and Roosters fans

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The NRL and Sharks plan to have two Matildas-style live sites to accommodate fans unable to get a ticket to Pointsbet Stadium, the league’s smallest venue which will host an all-Sydney finals blockbuster against the Roosters.

While Brisbane, Penrith and Newcastle will host games in week one of the finals, Cronulla’s home ground will potentially lock out tens of thousands of fans on Saturday night– but the Sharks won an unlikely ally in rival skipper James Tedesco.

Pointsbet Stadium’s capacity is limited due to an ongoing redevelopment, and the NRL didn’t want to strip home ground advantage from Craig Fitzgibbon’s side, who hosted the Cowboys in a golden point epic in last year’s finals series. The venue held just 12,447 people for that match.

It has prompted preliminary discussions between the NRL, Sharks officials and Sutherland Shire Council about erecting two live sites at the beachside Don Lucas Reserve, just 3km from Cronulla’s home ground, and another down the road at Dunningham Park.

Football fans flocked to live sites around the country to watch the Matildas’ fairytale World Cup run, and the NRL has floated the idea on a smaller scale given the logistical issues with Pointsbet Stadium.

“We’ve had discussions with the NRL and Sutherland Shire Council about having fans at the two sites and it’s a great alternative for those who can’t get a ticket to the match,” Sharks chief executive Dino Mezzatesta said.

Matildas fans at the Tumbalong Park live site during the World Cup and (inset) Cronulla Sharks star Nicho Hynes.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone, Getty

The NRL resisted calls to move last year’s match against North Queensland – preferring to reward the side which finished higher on the ladder by playing at their traditional home – and the policy will continue.

The NRL mandates Sydney teams which play out of suburban grounds must go to major stadia from week two onwards in the finals series.

Allianz Stadium would have been the logical venue for the Sharks to take a game to a bigger Sydney venue, but the country’s newest facility is also the home ground of their finals opponents, the Roosters.

Asked whether the Sharks should play at a bigger ground to accommodate more fans, Tedesco said: “I don’t think so. The Sharks should get a home final, and they should be rewarded. It’s going to feel like 50,000 anyway and I don’t think it’s going to make a big difference. They deserve it.”

The NRL is hoping to sell out all four week one finals matches for the first time in the modern era with capacity crowds set for Brisbane’s showdown with Melbourne at Suncorp Stadium, minor premiers Penrith’s clash with the Warriors and Newcastle’s clash with Canberra.

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