The NRL has flagged the prospect of taking the NRL grand final out of Sydney for the first time.
Save for the 1997 Super League decider, which was staged in Brisbane, every grand final in the 106-year history of the game has been held in Sydney.
That will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future as it is understood the governing body's contract with ANZ Stadium for the showpiece event runs through to at least the 2019 season.
However, NRL chief executive Dave Smith said he was open to the idea of eventually taking the grand final on the road.
"The future, and the way that we manage the competition, could be different," Smith told Fairfax Media.
"Next year we're taking Origin II to Melbourne so at the end of the day we can appeal to the widest bunch of fans that we possibly can.
"ANZ is great for doing that, it's a great grand final spectacle. But 20 years down the track you'll have the Perth stadium built, clearly Melbourne is an opportunity. There's nothing better than Suncorp and who knows what investment we'll have from the government in Sydney in terms of stadiums.
"I think it is a longer-term horizon because of our contractual arrangement, but remember that we're about growth and wider appeal.
"You'd hope you could take the game at different times, if it's well thought through, to other regions."
Smith raised eyebrows south of the Tweed for referring this year to Queensland as the "heartland" of rugby league. The Sunshine State is home to three NRL clubs, held the State of Origin shield for eight consecutive series until this year and is a powerhouse of the game from grassroots to elite level.
If the decider was to move away from its spiritual home, there's every likelihood Suncorp Stadium would be the destination.
"It's a world-class stadium, there's no question, it's one of the best stadiums in the country," Smith said.
"Equally, we're working with the government on Sydney stadiums as well. Fingers crossed, in 20 years time you'd hope this game is a national game with much wider appeal, therefore you probably have more choices as to where you play your premium events."
The AFL have staged all of their grand finals in Victoria and its contract with the Melbourne Cricket Ground will ensure that remains the case in the medium term.
However, the stadium will also host Origin games in 2015 and 2018 after the Victorian government spent millions for the rights.
It continues league's policy of staging one game outside of Sydney and Brisbane every three years. Game II next season will be the first interstate game held at the MCG since 1997.
The first Origin held there in 1994 attracted a then Origin record crowd of 87,161. While shifting the grand final could be a lucrative move for the League, there would be a backlash from Sydney fans if they lost the premium event.
While most other states have committed funds towards building or upgrading their top-tier stadiums, the quality of venues in NSW has fallen away because of a scattergun approach to funding. A new stadium strategy aims at rectifying the imbalance.
