Peter V'landys has indicated he wants this year's NRL grand final to stay in Sydney but says he remains open to a push from other commissioners to move the showpiece match interstate.
The ARL Commission will meet for a vital discussion on Monday about the October 2 fixture, a week after Sydney stadium stoush with the NSW government began.
While a final decision may not be made on Monday as previously thought, the NRL are desperate to lock in a venue as soon as possible to launch ticket sales.
Originally slated in to be played in Sydney until 2042, the NRL believe that deal has been breached by the NSW government's decision not to prioritise the upgrade of suburban Sydney grounds.
V'landys indicated he would advise other commissioners of his desire for the match to remain at Accor Stadium.
"There are two reasons for that," V'landys told AAP.
"One: We honour our agreements. We gave our word, we have a legally-binding agreement (with the NSW government).
"So in order for us to protest those rights we have to continue providing the requirements we have.
"And the second thing is: I don't want to punish the fans of NSW because of the government."
But the ARL Commission chairman said that was yet to be locked in.
"I am only one (commissioner). Some commissioners don't feel comfortable with how the government has dishonoured the agreement," V'landys said.
"There are probably going to be differences of views.
"A decision may not be made tomorrow ... But we need to make it pretty quickly, because we want to sell the grand final tickets.
"We have been waiting for the government to make this announcement, so to leave us in the lurch in the last minute certainly hasn't helped us."
It comes after NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet last week confirmed that the flood relief effort would mean a planned $250 million of spend on grounds such as Brookvale, Leichhardt and Shark Park will not go ahead.
V'landys has been heavily critical of the decision, accusing the government of reneging on a deal and hiding behind a human tragedy while considering legal options.
In the days since, both Brookvale and Shark Park have sold out for NRL matches, while a railing collapsed causing several people to fall downwards onto concrete at a schoolboys rugby match at Leichhardt Oval.
It has also been noted within the NRL that the 15,000 that showed up to watch Saint Ignatius' College Riverview and St Joseph's College showed the ground is far more than just a rugby league venue.
The NSW Government had initially pledged $800 million to rebuild Accor Stadium in 2018 in return for the grand final to remain in Sydney.
However changes during the pandemic meant that was abolished, with $300 million instead going to the new Penrith stadium and the NRL expecting further spend on suburban grounds.
Australian Associated Press
