NRL Chooses Gate Takings Over Suburban Grounds For Cronulla’s Week 1 Final

The hill at Shark Park was full of Sharks and Rabbitohs fans in Round 22

Cronulla lose home final as NRL moves Sharks-Cowboys to Allianz Stadium. Fonua-Blake days NRL treated Cronulla unfairly after moving finals game.

 

Sharks final moved from Shark Park to Allianz Stadium...

Addin Fonua-Blake believes the NRL has been unfair to Cronulla after moving their final.

The Sharks were set to play the Cowboys at Shark Park, but will now face them at Allianz Stadium in Moore Park.

Shark Park staged 10 of Cronulla’s home games in the 2026 regular season. But its capacity has dropped to 13,500 from 15,000 because of redevelopment work at the venue’s Leagues Club.

 

Six of Cronulla’s 10 home games in 2026 were against interstate or non-Sydney teams, including Newcastle. The Sharks argued that should be enough for them to keep home-ground advantage for their elimination final vs North Queensland after finishing 5th.

Shark Park also held an elimination final last year against the Roosters, with 12,842 fans attending. Cronulla saw that as proof the venue could handle this weekend’s game.

The NRL has gone the other way, moving the game to the 45,500-seat Sydney Football Stadium. It risks a half-empty stadium given the Cowboys aren’t expected to bring big away numbers.

  

The NRL has usually let clubs host Week 1 finals at their suburban grounds. This year it has chosen Allianz Stadium instead, chasing a bigger crowd and gate revenue.

  

Future upgrades at Shark Park are expected to max out at roughly 18,000 seats as Cronulla concentrates on upgrading facilities. The chances the club has played its last home final there are now very real.

  

Fonua-Blake stopped short of a full-blown spray on Monday, but the returning Sharks forward said the decision was “a bit unfair.”

“It's not ideal,” Fonua-Blake explained. 

“You work so hard during the year to get a home semi and for it to be taken away, it's unfair. It's the incentive for finishing higher on the ladder.

“To play in front of your home crowd, it feels like you have a 14th player on the field sometimes.

“It's a bit unfair, but what can you do? The call has been made above our heads. 

“We've just got to cop it and get ready to go out and put in a good performance this weekend.”

Cronulla have been forced to ditch Shark Park for their home Elimination Final against the Cowboys instead playing at Allianz Stadium. pic.twitter.com/B5PzN4Rxar

— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) September 6, 2026

All three other Week 1 hosts will stay at their regular venues. The Warriors were among them after the NRL decided against moving their home final from Mount Smart Stadium, 25,000 capacity, to Eden Park, which holds 50,000.