Footy fans sweltered at the AFL grand final in Melbourne and the extreme early spring heat is now moving towards Sydney just in time for the NRL grand final on Sunday.
Melbourne's temperature peaked at 29.7 degrees during the first quarter of the AFL grand final, while Sydney is set to sizzle with a top of 36 degrees expected on Sunday.
That's a whopping 14 degrees above the average October maximum of 22.2 degrees, and not far short of the October record of 38.2 degrees (in stats going back to 1858).
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Temperatures are expected to peak around 3pm according to Weatherzone, as fans start packing Accor Stadium, with the mercury set to drop back to the high twenties by kick-off in the main game between the Penrith Panthers and Brisbane Broncos at 7.30pm
But the extreme early October heat will make life difficult for players in the NRL Women's grand final between the Newcastle Knights and Gold Coast Titans at 3.55pm.
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys said earlier this week that he would enact protocols to help combat the heat.
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A reminder that all times are in Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT), not Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) as daylight saving starts at 2am on Sunday when Sydney clocks jump forward to 3am.
There is no daylight saving in Queensland, so if you're a Queensland-based Brisbane Broncos fan, don't forget to subtract an hour from the match times mentioned above.
