Yes, but it is no secret about the politics of the extension of the Grand Final deal. The deal is quite literally with the Victorian government.
This is not breaking news or a conspiracy theory, it's all out in the open.
As it is with the Vic government, if the MCG cannot host the GF (let's assume there's a structural issue or something), then it would go to Marvel, and then maybe to Ballarat and so on and so forth. All of this is known.
I also do not believe that Perth will receive the Grand Final (more on that in a moment), but it is not because it will set a precedent.
The AFL can make a good case for a one year exemption due to the pandemic. The Vic government will get something back from that - maybe an extra year on the end of the agreement or (more likely) a relief in some of the $225m which Victorians will pay to upgrade the area around Marvel. It is very easy to make that contractual arrangement given the circumstances as money for public works like this will be hard to find for some time.
It's true that Vics do feel like it is a god given right to host the GF, but it is also worth noting that we are going to pay for the privilege too. Did WA bid for the GF? Like, even for 1 GF out of every 5 or something? Maybe people should have got smart, not angry, and lobbied the WA government.
If anything, I think the biggest factor FOR Perth and Adelaide this year would be that it solves a long running gripe from non-Victorian clubs. The AFL could easily say 'sure, here you go, have a GF' - not a big trade off when it is increasingly unlikely they can't make money out of an empty stadium in Victoria anyway. The AFL can dine out on that for, I'd say, 10-15 years by saying 'Look, remember when we gave you that GF? You can't imagine how hard it was to get out of that contract for a year...but we did it because we love you. Now STFU because, unless there is another pandemic, the contract is the contract.'
I don't believe that Perth will get the GF for two reasons. Firstly, because the WA government hasn't been too helpful with keeping the season going. That's ok, the premier should prioritise health of his citizens in a time like this, but you can't expect too much in return when you play hard ball.
Qld has been more than helpful throughout. And, equally as important - it's a non-football state. I'd love for football heartlands to be rewarded (ie, a team in Tasmania before Gold Coast and GWS), but that's not how the AFL work. They won't add one more new fan to Australian football by putting a team in Tasmania, but they will by putting one on the Gold Coast. And they won't add one more viewer to a Perth GF, but they will if it is in Brisbane. I don't like it, but it's true.
The suggestion that the AFL would cancel the GF instead of giving it to Perth is nuts. They do have some sense of responsibility to the game. More to making money, of course, but by killing the GF they will be killing revenue too.
so maybe it is the same thing. Although, it should be noted that, for those who don't know, Marvel is surrounded by large companies (BP, Channel 9, Medicare, the ATO), Southern Cross train station and apartments etc. So, not just AFL who is benefitting.
