The Melbourne-Sydney rivalry is rearing its ugly head in the Australian cricket camp as both cities try to claim the AFL and NRL titles in grand finals this weekend.

Team officials are working on a plan to either cancel or rearrange training in Colombo to allow George Bailey’s World Twenty20 squad to watch Saturday’s AFL grand final.

Opening batsman David Warner, a Sydney boy who supports the NRL’s Sydney Roosters, spent plenty of weekends in his youth at the SCG watching Tony Lockett and Paul Kelly play for the Swans.

“I probably went two years straight to every game in Sydney. I can remember Lockett, Wayne Schwass, Kelly, Michael O’Loughlin, Paul Roos, so it’s a long time ago,” Warner said.

“Travelling the world you don’t get to see much of the rugby league either which I’m a massive fan of as well.

“It’s good to have the Victorian boys here and they’re always talking about AFL at dinner so you need to look it up and know a few of the players.”

Warner says the Storm definitely have the big-game experience to win Sunday’s NRL decider, although Ben Barba is on fire for the Bulldogs.

“Hopefully Melbourne come out and play good football. I reckon they’ll win,” Warner says.

NSW and Australia pace bowler Mitchell Starc likes going to Swans games but is also taking a keen interest in Sunday’s NRL clash. Starc’s girlfriend Alyssa Healy, a member of Australia’s women’s World T20 team, is a huge Canterbury fan.

“It’s two Sydney teams versus two Melbourne teams so I’m hoping both the Sydney teams get up,” says Starc, who supports the NRL’s Dragons.

Penrith product and NRL Panthers fan Pat Cummins is also a lifelong Swans supporter.

“There was a couple of years there when I was 14 or 15, 16 that I went to just about every home game,” the 19-year-old says.

“We’ve got the Hawks covered.”

Australia assistant coach Steve Rixon grew up in Albury playing Aussie Rules and says he loves the Swans, having followed them since the early 1980s in Sydney.