original.
Darren England/AAP
Research shows that hosting sport and other events rarely deliver the economic and tourism benefits commonly attributed to them.
Last year’s AFL premiers were definitely not socially distancing.
AAP/Michael Dodge
Crowds, albeit smaller ones, will again watch the AFL and NRL grand finals. Crowds can bring people together but, since the time of the Roman republic, they have also expressed political dissent.
Referee Matt Cecchin at a match between the Penrith Panthers and the Warriors.
AAP Image/Joel Carrett
It’s not easy being a ref. Everyone’s your critic, and you have to run more than 8km each match to keep up with the play.
Even though the AFL has tried to gather support in the northern states its viewership is still in the codes’ heartland.
Dan Himbretchs/AAP
TV ratings for the NRL and AFL grand finals show its still a challenge to engage a national broadcast audience that covers non-traditional areas.
Can the Cowboys do it again and win a back to back NRL grand final?
AAP Image/Dean Lewins
The North Queensland Cowboys will be hoping to win back-to-back grand finals in this year’s NRL. But what about that old saying on winning and losing?
Some fans take their sport very seriously such as this Hawthorn supporter during the 2013 AFL Grand Final. But what if you don’t have a team in the finals?
AAP Image/David Crosling
Which team you support in sport can depend on many things. But who should you barrack for in this packed weekend of sport if none of your favoured teams are in any of the games?
Can the Cowboys player Johnathan Thurston shake the Dally M curse to beat the Broncos on Sunday?
AAP Image/Dave Hunt
The Cowboys will have to deal with more than just the Dally M “curse” if they’re to beat the Broncos in this weekend’s all Queensland NRL Grand Final.
Roosters (here playing against the Rabbitohs in Sydney last Friday) are odds-on favourite to win this year’s grand final. But are they the really the best team to take out the 2015 title?
AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts
Is it age or experience that counts in the teams challenging for this years’s NRL Grand Final? Or do we need to look deeper into the game statistics?
The Bulldogs beat the Pathers in the preliminary final - but can the underdogs do it again in this weekend’s NRL Grand Final against the Rabbitohs?
AAP Image/Action Photographics, Grant Trouville
When the final siren sounds at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium on Sunday night either the South Sydney Rabbitohs or Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs will be crowned as 2014 National Rugby League (NRL) Premiers…