‘You’ll be entertained’: NRL boss Peter V’landys teases grand final entertainment

Days after declaring there would be no pre-match entertainment at the NRL grand final, Peter V’landys has suddenly changed his tune.

The rugby league boss has confirmed that the show is back on, teasing a mystery act who will perform in an 11-minute slot before kick off between the Sydney Roosters and the Newcastle Knights. 

V’landys told Nine’s James Bracey: “Watch 11 minutes before kick off and there’s going to be a big surprise... and you’ll be entertained.”

“I’ve got to tell you, it’ll be the highest-rating 11 minutes you will ever see because no one knows what it is, and we won’t tell until the night.

“And a lot of people will be surprised.

“There will be something, but I am not saying what it is. Stay tuned.”

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The update comes less than a week after it emerged that the NRL was without a main act for the grand final at Accor Stadium on October 4, after talks with singer Tones and I broke down.

The Aussie singer clarified that “prior commitments” meant she could not agree to the league’s offer, after initial reports claimed the singer’s refusal to perform her biggest hit Dance Monkey led to the NRL scrapping her appearance.

At the time, V’landys said the $1 million entertainment budget would instead go towards junior football programs.

V’landys clarified that the NRL would still make that contribution, but a smaller amount would go to the entertainment.

“My prime aim was to give $1 million to kids who can’t play the game,” he said.

“Under-privileged kids, that can’t buy boots, that can’t get registered, who can’t get insurances, who have all their mates playing and they can’t.

“That to me is more important than anything. And I want to develop that fund into millions of dollars, not just a million dollars.”

As for who will be taking the field before kick off? Well, that remains a surpise.

But in the wake of Tones and I pulling out, plenty of Aussie acts put their hands up to offer their talents for the coveted gig.

Aussie icon Shannon Noll, best known for his hit What About Me, threw his hat in the ring and offered himself up as the entertainment.

“I just thought I’d put it out there because I’m free that day, and I absolutely love my footy,” he told nine.com.au.

“It’d be an absolute thrill to play the grand final. I’ve actually done it once before, but it’d be amazing to be a part of a day like that again.”

Noll performed at the 2007 NRL grand final, alongside the Hoodoo Gurus and Vanessa Amorosi. He also performed at the State of Origin series in 2023.

Other names that have been thrown around since the Knights secured their spot in the grand final include a reunited Silverchair, or the Screaming Jets.