Bankwest to house five clubs for next nine rounds
Cronulla will be one of five tenants based at Bankwest Stadium after several other clubs keen to call the $360 million Parramatta venue ''home'' for the opening nine rounds were overlooked.
The Sharks, who briefly flirted with the idea of playing at Bankwest when forced to find a new home during redevelopment of their leagues club - they settled on Kogarah - will join the Eels, Canterbury, South Sydney and the Sydney Roosters at the site.
The NRL announced on Tuesday the six venues that best satisfied its strict biosecurity protocols for the game's return. The others were Campbelltown, Central Coast Stadium, AAMI Park in Melbourne, QCB Stadium in Townsville and Suncorp Stadium.
Several other clubs were keen to be based at Bankwest but the NRL could not accommodate them because of the likelihood they would be forced to hold two matches on one day.
Canberra even posted a cheeky tweet to their Campbelltown co-tenants and said ''shotgun the room with the ensuite''.
Penrith originally thought they would play at Bankwest and there was talk of the Roosters playing at Gosford, where they already play one home game each year.
The size and quality of facilities at Bankwest had plenty of appeal compared to an ageing Campbelltown Stadium, which will host the Wests Tigers, St George Illawarra, Canberra and the Panthers.
The New Zealand Warriors, Manly and Newcastle will all call the Central Coast home, while the Gold Coast will join the Broncos at Suncorp.
Leichhardt Oval was briefly considered by the NRL but the lack of change rooms failed the criteria.
Fans did their best to watch the NRL from outside Leichhardt Oval, which was briefly considered but scrapped as a venue for the first nine rounds. Credit:Getty
Redfern and Belmore, the spiritual homes of Souths and Canterbury, were also mentioned but never seriously considered. ANZ Stadium is about to be redeveloped and was never an option.
The SCG is shared between the Roosters and Sydney Swans, which presented biosecurity concerns.
The oval shape was also not ideal for TV networks keen to broadcast games at a tighter angle inside rectangular stadiums, which will also help cover the sight of empty stands. Kogarah was ruled out as a possible venue for the same reason.
Central Coast Stadium will host New Zealand, Newcastle and Manly.Credit:AAP
Cronulla were originally expected to play at Campbelltown but were happy to be diverted across town to Bankwest.
Clubs are expected to receive the full draw on Wednesday before it is made public on Thursday, however the NRL will delay confirming venues for round 10 and beyond.
The Raiders are prepared to make the trek up the Hume Highway to Campbelltown and know a run of home games in the nation's capital in the chilly months of July and August would be a benefit to their own premiership cause.
Where each team will play
Bankwest Stadium: Parramatta, Canterbury, South Sydney, Cronulla, Sydney Roosters
Campbelltown Stadium: St George Illawarra, Wests Tigers, Penrith, Canberra
Central Coast Stadium: Newcastle, Warriors, Manly
Suncorp Stadium: Brisbane, Gold Coast
QCB Stadium: North Queensland
AAMI Park: Melbourne