Benji Marshall's hopes of a Leichhardt Oval farewell have come crashing down after the Tigers' plans for a perfect swansong were set to clash with junior rugby league grand finals, per The Sydney Morning Herald.
The Tigers were prepared to sacrifice $100,000 by moving their final game of the season against Parramatta to their beloved home ground instead of Bankwest Stadium, to pay homage to their club great.
The NRL released venues for the final two rounds with the Saturday-night clash between the Tigers and Eels listed as "to be confirmed".
Tigers confirmed there was not enough time to prepare the venue if local sport had been played there earlier in the day.
"Wests Tigers have today confirmed that its Round 20 home game against the Parramatta Eels will be played at Bankwest Stadium, as per the original schedule" Tigers said in a statement
Hoping the junior sport could lead into the NRL game at 7.30 pm, but biosecurity experts ruled that out.
“Wests Tigers take great pride in our junior pathways programs and greatly appreciate the amount of time and preparation undertaken by the Junior League Committee to plan for this Grand Final weekend” Tigers said in a statement
“As a club, Wests Tigers want to ensure that each junior league team participating has an enjoyable and memorable experience, and that the Grand Final weekend can be held as planned with no interruptions.”
Government-enforced COVID-19 restrictions would allow the Tigers to host 7,500 fans at Bankwest Stadium, while Leichhardt can hold just over 3000.
"The expert advice we have received is that neither ground could be transformed to meet the biosecurity protocols," Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe said.
"We recognise that the health and safety of our players and the general community must come first,
"While we would have liked to farewell two of our greatest ever players at one of our suburban home grounds,
"We are looking forward to welcoming a greater number of members and fans to Bankwest Stadium in what will no doubt be a special match for our club."