The AFL and the NRL have been at loggerheads for years over who can bring in the biggest crowds, who can amass the most television viewers and which code can take the crown as Australia’s biggest and most influential sport.
Rugby league is known for taking innovative steps to grow the sport on the world stage.
Take the league’s recent exploits in Las Vegas, for example. NRL bosses Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo have formulated a brilliant plan to pull in more viewers Stateside through the annual season-opening festival of rugby league in the entertainment capital.
The AFL has also continued to innovate, too, and perhaps one thing that Andrew Dillon and Co do better than their rugby league counterparts is draw in big acts for its annual showpiece at the MCG.
The latest of those is Snoop Dogg, who revealed on Tuesday that he will be the headline act for this year’s pre-match entertainment for the AFL Grand Final on September 27.
The self-proclaimed Western Bulldogs fan, who has hits including ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’, will follow a line of big names to perform in front of the 100,000 fans who will cram into the ‘G for the event.
Snoop Dogg is set to perform at this year’s AFL Grand Final. It came after he revealed he was a Western Bulldogs fan
The NRL has continued to innovate to bring in more viewers by hosting some of its season-opening matches abroad in Las Vegas
However, it has failed to pull in stars of the same global stature as the AFL, with Katy Perry (pictured) performing at the MCG at last year’s Grand Final
In the past, the AFL has landed the likes of pop sensations, Katy Perry and Robbie Williams who got the iconic stadium bopping with their pop hits. The Killers and rock legends Kiss both took to the centre of the Oval, while Ed Sheeran belted out some of his famous tracks in 2014.
The NRL, meanwhile, has also had its fair share of big names perform at its Grand Final, including Grammy nominees OneRepublic, Gang of Youths, and Macklemore.
Comparatively, the AFL has certainly appeared to have more sway in luring global talents to Aussie shores for its Grand Final.
And that, according to the Editor in Chief of Rolling Stone Magazine, Neil Griffiths, is down to the talent management teams the AFL and the NRL use to book their half-time shows. The NRL has also looked to highlight local Australian acts in the past, including Amy Shark and Jimmy Barnes.
‘Sony Music Australia have had a monopoly on the NRL in recent years, so that is why you are seeing a lot of their acts,’ Griffiths told The Daily Telegraph.
Meanwhile, talent and tour promoter Mushroom Group handle the AFL’s Grand Final bookings.
‘Mushroom have taken care of a lot of the AFL entertainment, and they are a tour promoter so you are seeing their gigantic names who are about to announce a tour or start a tour,’ he added.
While the NRL have looked to give Australian musicians the chance to take the stage at the Grand Final, Griffiths believes that this isn’t always a good thing.
| Year | NRL | AFL |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | TBC | Snoop Dogg |
| 2024 | The Kid Laroi | Katy Perry |
| 2023 | Tina Turner musical | Kiss |
| 2022 | JImmy Barnes | Robbie Williams |
| 2021 | INXS | Kate Miller-Heidke |
| 2020 | Amy Shark | Electric Fields |
| 2019 | OneRepublic | Tones and I |
| 2018 | Gang of Youths | Jimmy Barnes and Black Eyed Peas |
| 2017 | Macklemore | The Killers |
| 2016 | Keith Urban, Richie Sambora | Vance Joy |
Robbie Williams (centre) is another big name to have performed at the MCG for the AFL Grand Final in recent years
It is understood that the AFL’s ability to pull in global superstars is due to the agents the league uses to book their talent
‘I remember a few years ago they had Richie Sambora playing the grand final and a lot of people actually hated it, despite the fact he is a big name, a lot of people had a big problem with the fact it wasn’t local but then you have the situation where they book the local acts and people go “who is this”.’
The other issue that both codes face is availability.
Both the AFL and NRL are set to miss out this year on a plethora of big names travelling Down Under.
Oasis have rocked the UK at the beginning of their reunion tour and are set to do so in Australia, as they travel down to Australia for shows at the end of October and early November, while Lenny Kravitz is also set to tour Down Under at the same time.
