NRL Grand Final
Updated: Wikipedia source
The NRL Grand Final is an annual rugby league match to determine the premiers of every National Rugby League season. It is a major sport event in Australia and regarded as the biggest showcase of rugby league football in the world. Since 1999, it has been contested at Stadium Australia in Sydney. The first year it was held at Stadium Australia, it set a new record for attendance at an Australian rugby league game, with 107,999 people attending. The two teams that play in the grand final are determined from the preceding finals series, where the top eight finishing teams on the season's premiership ladder qualify in a three-week playoff tournament. The grand final had been played on Saturday afternoons and then Sunday afternoons. From 2001 to 2007, the game was moved to an evening start to make the most of prime time television. Between 2008 and 2012, a compromise was reached between official broadcaster Nine Network's preferred starting time of 7pm and the traditional starting time of 3pm, with the grand final beginning at 5pm AEDT. In 2013, the evening start resumed and has occurred since. Previously, the grand final did not have a set date but, with the exception of 2020, since 2001, it has been played the Sunday falling between 30 September and 6 October, preceding the Labour Day public holiday that falls on the first Monday of October in New South Wales. The game itself is usually preceded by an opening ceremony featuring a headline musical act, a Welcome to Country, and a rendition of the Australian national anthem sung by well-known Australasian and international artists. The Provan-Summons Trophy, the NRL's premiership trophy, is usually delivered to the field by an Australian Army helicopter shortly before kick off. At the conclusion of the grand final there is a presentation ceremony where the winning team are awarded premiership rings. The player judged to be the man of the match by the selectors of the ARL national team is awarded the prestigious Clive Churchill Medal; the ARLC chairman, NRL CEO, and on occasion the Prime Minister of Australia are typically on stage to congratulate the winning coach and players, and ultimately hand the Provan-Summons Trophy to the winning captain(s). In 2019, the Government of New South Wales secured the grand final for Stadium Australia until at least 2046.