NSW premier Dominic Perrottet joked this week that it almost cost his Liberal party an election, but the new Allianz Stadium is a sight to behold.
The $874 million rebuild of the Sydney Football Stadium was 20 per cent over budget but was delivered on time and will feature its first NRL game on Friday night.
The Roosters face arch rivals the Rabbitohs in the final round of the season that will decide which side gets to host the other an elimination final the following week.
Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
LISTEN TO THE LATEST EPISODE OF THE FOX LEAGUE PODCAST WITH SPECIAL GUEST SCOTT SATTLER
The brand spanking new stadium – which stands next to the SCG – has slightly reduced capacity and all 42,500 seats have been sold for the clash.
The new SFS features three levels and a stteep incline will ensure all seats are close to and on top of the action with not a bad seat in the house.
The wrap-around design means crowd noise will largely be kept within the stadium, reducing spill to the surrounding areas.
The roof covers grandstands and weighs 2000 tons, consisting of more than 4000 individual pieces of steel.
There are 51 suites, two outdoor terraces, 84 outdoor boxes and seven private function rooms,
Billionaire Justin Hemmes’ Merivale has the food and beverage contract and they are offering half price on everything between 5-7pm on Friday.
The concourse will have Merrivale-owned Totti’s food available, while bars serve Furphy, Stone & Wood and VB on tap.
There is also a range of wines and cocktails and zero-alcohol bottles of Heineken.
It’s officially the home of the Roosters, Waratahs (Super Rugby) and Sydney FC (A-League), but South Sydney are trying to get their foot in the door next season.
That prompted Roosters supremo Nick Politis to issue a blunt message to their cross-town rivals – “it’s our home, not their home”.
The Roosters’ high-performance centre and football offices are situated inside Allianz Stadium and Politis made sure a sign was erected which read “home of the Sydney Roosters” last month when signing a 25-year deal to use the stadium.
Souths were also told they couldn’t use Allianz Stadium for their captain’s run and they responded by questioning the quality of the playing surface.
The promise to rebuild Allianz and Accor Stadium was a polarising issue at the 2019 New South Wales state election and saw Labor call the vote ‘a referendum on the $1.6 billion pledge’.
Liberal won the election comfortably but reneged on their promise to redevelop Accor Stadium, much to the ire of rugby league boss Peter V’Landys.
MORE NRL NEWS
NRL MYTHBUSTERS: Bennett fails on superstar promise; Holmes silences critics
NOT HIS PLACE: Broncos legend defends Walters amid coaching saga
WHISPERS: Three NRL clubs chasing banished Bronco; Tigers-Panthers player swap
TRANSFER CENTRE: Cowboys fullback snubs Dolphins to sign huge $3.2m deal
ON NOTICE: Suaalii cops ‘concerning act’ warning as Robbo reveals why he’ll stay
Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!
Wear your favourite NRL jersey and tag @NRL and Jersey Day on Instagram, to raise awareness for organ donation! Learn more by clicking here.
