'We shook hands': Rugby league boss accuses Premier of making excuses on stadium backflip
Rugby league boss Peter V’landys accused the New South Wales prime minister of using a “humanitarian tragedy” to renege on a handshake agreement to transform a suburban stadium. Key points: NSW Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet says he should prioritize disaster funding over stadium grants However, rugby league boss Peter V’landys accused Perrottet of making excuses to cancel their deal. Mr V’landys claims the deal includes hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade stadiums in Manly, Cronulla and Leichhardt V’landys threatened to move the NRL Grand Finals from Sydney as a result, saying the sport had been “tied up” by the state government for three years. He said Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet this year pledged to upgrade local pitches across the city as part of a deal to keep the game showpiece in Harbor City until 2042. “We shook hands. We looked into each other’s eyes and we made a deal,” V’landys told Nine radio this morning. “He said, ‘You don’t have to put it in the budget, I c