BRISBANE - Exactly one year ago, New Zealand won the right to host rugby's 2011 World Cup. The Eden Park Trust Board (EPTB) would have been as happy as anybody that day, safe in the knowledge that the final would be played on their hallowed turf... or so they thought.

Fast forward a year and they feel their best hope of convincing not only the public but the powers-that-be that the redevelopment of Eden Park remains the best option is to look northwest a few thousand kilometres to Brisbane - Suncorp Stadium, to be precise.

When discrediting the merits of a $385 million redevelopment of Eden Park, critics, particularly Finance Minister Michael Cullen, pointed to three factors: Location, location and location.

"We just wanted to say 'hang on, there are stadiums that co-exist with residential areas and there's one on our doorstep'," said EPTB chief executive John Alexander.

From location, there are three major issues: Residents, transport and supporting infrastructure.

Worldwide trends in the past 10 years have seen stadia built in industrial areas as a catalyst for regeneration. The suburban stadiums so common in English football are slowly being excised from the landscape.

Cullen recently indicated that was the way he expected Eden Park to go as well, saying a stadium in the heart of a neighbourhood had no long-term future.

All of which has been damaging to Eden Park's campaign to secure the rights to host the World Cup matches destined for Auckland.

By highlighting the success of Suncorp Stadium, formerly Lang Park, he hopes to redress that balance in a transparent manner.

Suncorp is regarded as arguably the best purpose-built rugby ground in the world. Although the sleek facade of Suncorp bears little resemblance to the hotchpotch that is Eden Park in its current guise, the two grounds share crucial similarities:

* They are partly surrounded by housing.

* The residents are well organised and are among the city's higher earners.

* They are both close to the CBD (although Suncorp is closer).

* The cost of the revamp and proposed revamp are similar.

* They are served by similar transport infrastructure.

While Suncorp stands as a resounding success now, the initial reaction when the upgrade was first touted was outrage from the residents.

HOK Sports architect Alistair Richardson, chiefly responsible for the re-design, said there were vicious community campaigns against it.

The concept also failed to receive Brisbane City Council support, which wanted another site upgraded.