The NRL, in conjunction with the ARL Commission have informed clubs that they plan to re-adjust the NRL finals location structure, deeming some suburban home grounds unacceptable to host a finals fixture.
It is set to see the Manly Sea Eagles and Cronulla Sharks come out worse for wear, who have been earmarked as the sides who will have to relocate to a neutral ground.
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As per The Daily Telegraph, the St George Illawarra Dragons contacted the NRL to clarify where their home turfs, WIN Stadium and Jubilee Stadium, fall in the matter.
However, the club remains confident they will still be able to host finals fixtures at their grounds.
With Ocean Protect Stadium having limited capacity for quite some time now, there was plenty of speculation that the NRL would intervene when Sharks finals games were held there in years gone by.
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With the Shire-based club sitting at around 13,000 people at capacity, there are plenty of fans missing out on the live experience and not contributing to the financial gain of the NRL.
And with 4 Pines Park being capped to around 20,000, it is the safest bet that the NRL relocate the allocated fixtures to Allianz Stadium, where more fans can come and watch their sides.
Although these clubs haven’t officially been deemed to have had their choice taken from them, it is now at the discretion of the NRL to choose the greatest option for the code.
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It is a huge call for the NRL to make, with holding a home game advantage at a club’s spiritual venue being a massive bonus in a finals match, going a long way in the chances of the local side winning.