In Australian sport many traditions are being eroded as the huge dollars television contributes gifts networks more control than ever.

What do you think the chances are of the AFL one day moving their grand final to the Gabba? Would it have the same romance as the MCG cathedral, which has hosted it for decades?

Besides, robbing Sydney of its rugby league showpiece right now would be like stealing the wimpy kid at school's lunch money when he's got a sprained ankle.

After the Cane Toads' record 52-6 thumping of NSW in Origin III to reclaim the trophy, Sydney is coming to terms with the prospect of an all-Queensland grand final.

As a Canberra Raiders fan who grew up north of the Tweed there was always a special feel around the team heading into the big smoke to steal the trophy.

Especially in the 1989 grand final, when Canberra became the first non-Sydney team to win a premiership.

Queensland coach Mal Meninga captained the Raiders that day and threw his weight behind sticking with Sydney tradition when asked recently.

That "us against them" mentality the Raiders used before travelling up the Hume Highway for finals series added another dimension to the occasion.

The jubilant celebrations in Canberra later that night were enhanced not only by it being the club's first premiership, but the fact they'd pulled off the game's first successful Sydney sting.

I'm sure it was also the case for Broncos fans when they travelled north of the border to win their seven premierships.

Even Wayne Bennett, the coach at the helm of all seven Brisbane premierships, believes the grand final should stay put when asked this week.

"Yeah I have no problem with that," he said.

"It's where the grand final has always been played, it's the biggest city in Australia – why wouldn't you play the grand final there?

"But I have appreciated what has happened up here.

"It was the first preliminary final the Broncos have played at home.

"But Sydney should still host the grand final in my opinion."

The National Football League's biggest game, the Super Bowl, rotates venues each year, with Jarryd Hayne's home ground, San Francisco's Levi's Stadium, to host in February.

The difference is the crowd capacity at NFL venues is reasonably uniform across the league, unlike the 30,000-odd disparity between ANZ Stadium and Suncorp Stadium.

What if, hypothetically, the grand final was moved to Brisbane last year when two Sydney clubs with huge fan bases in Souths and Canterbury squared off?

There would have been thousands of club members who walked away disappointed after being unable to secure a ticket.

The Rabbitohs ended their 43-year premiership drought, including two years where they were dumped from the league altogether during the Super League war.

Try explaining to a Bunnies fan they have to stay at home and watch the game on TV because they couldn't squeeze them in.

There's other ways to spread the rugby league gospel around the country than scrapping a 107-year tradition.

The second state of Origin game was taken to Melbourne this year and more than 91,000 people crammed into the MCG.

NRL games have been taken into to Perth in recent seasons with great success, as well as Cairns, Darwin, Wellington and regional centres such as Albury and Bathurst.

Test matches have been taken to Newcastle, Gold Coast, Canberra, Townsville and Wollongong.

Would the AFL ever consider holding their grand final parade down Caxton Street in Brisbane?

AFL players spend their whole lives dreaming about running onto the MCG for the biggest game of the year.

If the game was taken elsewhere, that romance and sense of occasion would be diminished.

Rugby league has always been a game built on tradition. Just this once, let's take a leaf out of the AFL's book and put upholding it ahead of the almighty dollar.

While we're on the subject of chasing easy money, something has to be done about the shameless price gouging by airlines to take advantage of interstate football fans keen to travel to grand finals.

My friend in Mackay is a Raiders fan, but also gets to a few Cowboys games in Townsville and rates them his unofficial second team.

But after realising flights to Sydney and back would cost him more than $1800, he decided watching it from his couch was the best option.

The airlines have to ask themselves - do they actually come out in front in the end?

They've copped plenty of negative publicity as a result, and I'm sure my mate isn't alone in expressing his annoyance and refusing to pay up.

Surely the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission can look into this issue and ensure the emotions of fans desperate to support their team aren't exploited.