Wagga needs to step up and take back grand final

WAGGA mayor Wayne Geale was invited to the Group Nine grand final at Lavington Sportsground on Sunday, but, more is the pity, he couldn't get there.Councillor Geale obviously had other more pressing commitments or engagements, which is definitely fair enough in my book.After all, rugby league is only football and the mayor of the City of Good Sports would have other more important matters and events on his hectic schedule.So let's be benevolent and magnanimous and categorically forgive Cr Geale for missing the great occasion.However, what about the rest of Wagga City Council ? was everybody busy?Surely there could (should) have been a few representatives at Lavington Sportsground on Sunday, but, unless I'm totally mistaken, there wasn't.I reckon this is an absolutely intolerable situation.Here we have Albury City Council virtually hijacking the Group Nine grand final from under the nose of Wagga City Council and the latter seems blissfully unconcerned.Where is the sense in that? I would have thought Wagga City Council would have been at Lavington Sportsground with bells on.Isn't Wagga City Council supposed to be all about keeping major events in Wagga ? and finding out why they are drifting away?Or does this assumption just show the complete and utter naivety of a simple sports writer?Probably.Anyway, had Wagga City Council had representatives at Lavington Sportsground on Sunday they would have been able to give feedback where it was desperately needed.Or this is just another ridiculous assumption from someone without a degree in anything at all.Truth is, Albury City Council was delighted, thrilled and everything else about having the grand final in its backyard.Albury mayor Alice Glachan said as much (and more) on Sunday.Councillor Glachan seems pretty cluey and switched on and made it patently clear Albury City Council would like the Group Nine grand final to stay at Lavington Sportsground for the immediate future - next year at least.I gather the Group Nine luminaries - the board I mean - are also happy for things to stay as they were on Sunday.If it was purely a matter of the board meeting today to rubber stamp the 2011 Group Nine grand final being at Lavington Sportsground, I'm positive that would happen.Unfortunately for the board, this is not the way of a democracy and the 11 competing Group Nine clubs will actually make the decision.As far as I know, the process involved in selecting the venue to host the Group Nine grand final next year will be the same as the process used for this year.Thus, interested clubs will nominate respective grounds and the Group Nine general committee will vote to determine the winner.Simple as that.In the case of Lavington, or is it Albury next year, the club will put up Lavington Sportsground for consideration.I presume other clubs will also throw their hats into the ring - or let's hope.Wagga Rugby League should definitely have its paperwork ready to go and fire in an application this morning.And so should Temora, Cootamundra and anywhere else for that matter.This is the system and you can't beat a good system.From what I know - yes, very little - there will be a rush of clubs wanting to win the rights to the grand final of 2011.Top of the list will (should) be WRL.This will make me unpopular, but Wagga, or more precisely Equex Centre, is the only venue that should ever be used for the Group Nine grand final.Yeah, I know everyone thought the grand final at Lavington Sportsground on Sunday was super-duper, but the problem was that it was in Albury, or near enough.Right, the grand final drew a gate of $26,700, which was up on the figure at Equex Centre last year and compared favourably with what Australian football got at the the Farrer League and Riverina Football League grand finals.Now that's saying something - and I don't think it's all that positive.On a most marvellous spring day, the Group Nine grand final attracted possibly 3000 people at Lavington Sportsground.Rest assured, there would have been 4000-plus and a $35,000 gate had it been held at Equex Centre in Wagga.No ifs, no buts.I know people who wouldn't have missed the grand final in Wagga, but they gave Sunday the flick purely because of where the game was played.Location, location, location.They say people came from Wangaratta, Wodonga and Yarrawonga to watch Sunday's decider, but there were seven of them in total.Suffice to say, the numbers from Wagga would have been appalling. Wagga is a league town, Albury isn't.People in Wagga won't drive 90 minutes to watch a game at Lavington - they will drive for 10 minutes to go to Equex Centre. Same goes for the great sporting community of Junee, Cootamundra, Temora etc.Yes, they'd drive to Wagga, but they'd baulk at driving to Albury.Of course, some did on Sunday, but they were a minority.Let's get real - play the grand final in Wagga or Group Nine will be begging for money on a street corner to pay the bills in years to come.That's the message Wagga City Council - not me - should be expounding at the moment.If I was Wayne Geale, I'd be asking may I speak at the Group Nine board meeting tomorrow night to put an offer on the table.