New Zealand have reportedly put in a bid to host the NRL Grand Final as the NRL weighs up their options thanks to new data.
The Sydney Morning Herald's Roy Masters reports the NRL could make more than double the money it currently makes from the Sydney grand final and Origin matches if those games were taken elsewhere.
As a result, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and New Zealand are willing to pay for the big matches because of the economic benefits that could come from them.
It comes after NSW Opposition Leader Michael Daley stated he would not be bullied by the NRL following CEO Todd Greenberg's threat to move games away from Sydney if an incoming Labour government cancelled stadium rebuild plans.
While Daley believes the threat to be empty, it's understood Greenberg is already in discussions elsewhere.
The NRL receives approximately $NZ4.2 million from the NSW government for hosting rights to the Grand Final but the sport's governing body has reportedly already fielded offers from Queensland, Victoria and New Zealand. The initial offers are around $10 million.
It's not yet known which stadium New Zealand would use if the offer was accepted but Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium and Eden Park stand as the obvious front-runners.
At this year's Grand Final, where the Roosters beat the Storm 21-6, ANZ Stadium was filled with 82,688 fans for the match.
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