Nicho Hynes. Nine
“I can’t believe they tried to take it away from us.”
So said star Cronulla halfback Nicho Hynes inside a rocking Shark Park after the club’s elimination final victory over the Roosters on Saturday night.
The Sharks earned the right to host the sudden-death final by finishing fifth on the ladder, but many were calling for the game to be played at one of Sydney’s newer stadiums, citing the venue’s small capacity and shoddy condition.
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Many thought the match should have been played at CommBank Stadium, which has a capacity of 30,000 — double that of Shark Park — and is a state-of-the-art venue, free of pooling water at the bottom of stairwells, leaks in the roof over the main grandstand, and the stench of sewerage.
A host of Sharks figures have made public pleas for the government to provide the funding boost required for the dilapidated venue to be brought up to scratch.
After the Sharks’ 20-10 win over the Roosters, Hynes joined the chorus.
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Nicho Hynes and Jesse Ramien celebrate the Sharks’ 2025 elimination final win. Getty
“This is what it’s all about. How good’s this?” Hynes told Nine’s post-match.
“This is the best feeling ever.
“They’ve turned up all year for us.
“It’s time for the government to give us a new stadium, I reckon.”
Former Jillaroos star Allana Ferguson went in to bat for Cronulla.
“I mean, look, this may have been my second home growing up, but it’s true — they’ve earned the right to play here,” Ferguson said on Nine.
“They [the fans] are insane. And they’re close — it feels like they’re on top of you. There might only be 12,500, but it’s a loud 12,500.
“And also, the fans got to reap the rewards for a long time after the game, too, which they deserve.”
Roosters great Brad Fittler, a former captain and coach of the Tricolours, scoffed in reply.
“Don’t worry about the 80,000 they locked out,” he quipped.
Speaking at the league’s launch of the finals on Monday, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo suggested a change of the finals venues rules may be imminent.
“We haven’t changed or reviewed the home finals policy for a while, and I think we’re due for that,” Abdo said.
“That will be a conversation we have with the commission at the end of the season.
“There are two things we are trading off. One is being able to play at your regular home stadium, and the other is a good experience for our fans. They’re both important.
“It’s fair to say we would want a minimum standard, particularly for finals, for our fans. It’s not just about the size of the venue, it’s about the experience at the venue.”
The NRL, not the clubs, collects all earnings from the gates and hospitality during the finals.
But revenue isn’t the NRL’s sole concern, Abdo said.
“[Financial turnover] is a factor, but it’s not purely about, ‘How much money can you make out of the game?’
“In this particular case, you have two Sydney teams [playing on Saturday night], and you want as many fans as possible enjoying it live. The players enjoy that, and so do the fans. We need to focus on our fans and the fan experience.
“There comes a time you need to consider a minimum standard, potentially for finals, that might be above the regular season — the time is right to have a good, close look at it.”
In a hard-hitting column in The Sydney Morning Herald published last month, Nine journalist Neil Breen described Shark Park as “the worst professional sporting ground in the nation”.
According to the Herald, the Sharks want the government to cough up $180 million so they can deliver a state-of-the-art, 23,000-seat stadium in the Shire.