Early next year, the city will be the focus of attention for the billion dollar racing industry and the rugby league world, or a decent part of it.

In a sensational collision of two great sporting worlds, horse racing and rugby league will be on the same fabulous menu in Wagga on the first weekend in May.

Well, that's at least the way it looks at this stage.

As of yesterday, the Wagga Gold Cup (2000m) was definitely booked in to be run at the marvellous Murrumbidgee Turf Club on May 1, 2015.

For the uninitiated, that's the first Friday in May, which is the regular and time-honoured scheduling for the MTC's showpiece event.

There is absolutely no doubt in the wide world that the Wagga Gold Cup is the biggest event - sporting, cultural or whatever - on the city's calendar every year.

Forget about music festivals, Christmas Carols, street parades or footy grand finals, the Wagga Gold Cup is so far in front that race caller Allan Hull would be calling it the winner at the 200 metre mark.

Now, obviously Gold Cup day is actually only half of what is a traditional two-day feast of horse racing.

On the Thursday before the Gold Cup, the MTC get things started by staging Town Plate day.

It's not in the same territory as the Gold Cup card, but still pulls in thousands and attracts the attention eyes of top trainers from Sydney etc.

For those tremendous two days, the MTC is the heart and soul of the city - a magnet drawing people from across the country.

Significantly, businesses in the city naturally get a free ride on the MTC coattails in Gold Cup week.

Everything from hotels and motels to restaurants and clothing stores get the economic benefits of the Gold Cup carnival.

Taking this business boon a step further, Wagga is set to have another draw card event to complement the Town Plate-Gold Cup bonanza.

Well-placed sources have given the clearest possible indication that the NRL will schedule the City-Country Origin blockbuster for the first weekend in May.

This means the Wagga Gold Cup carnival will hold the sporting spotlight for two great days before handing off to the historic rugby league fixture.

It's not a news flash, but the NRL and Channel Nine have signed off on playing City-Country at Equex Centre next year.

The money for much-needed improvements to the venue, including coaches boxes and media and TV areas, has been guaranteed and the upgrade will be set in motion the first thing in October.

The Notebook understands Wagga Rugby League just needs to get the Group Nine grand final out of the way on September 28 before the work will start.

The schedule for the completion of the overhaul will allow ample time for Equex Centre to be in pristine shape for City-Country to be televised across the rugby league watching landscape.

And The Notebook understands the date overwhelmingly favoured for the massive rugby league promotion is May 3 - meaning the game will neatly buttress the Wagga Gold Cup festival.

So far there has been no official word from the NRL, but the usual reliable mail suggests City-Country is virtually locked in for the same weekend as the Gold Cup.

The grapevine is also saying that Group Nine has heard the same date and is setting up the 2015 premiership draw accordingly.

We already know Group Nine has cleverly shifted its start and finishing points for the competition next year, giving rise to speculation City-Country is also in the mix.

In 2015, the Group Nine premiership will start on April 11 and climax with the grand final on September 13.

In between, there will be 18 rounds, with each team playing 16 games.

Under the most likely scenario, Group Nine will probably pencil in a premiership bye for the City-Country weekend or schedule all games for the Saturday, leaving the Sunday clear.

However, playing the five games on the Saturday might not be totally ideal, especially as there would be a hangover or two from Wagga Gold Cup day.

Even now, The Notebook is prepared to bet Group Nine will decide to play a full round of games on the long weekend in June rather than give the players the weekend off.

This mightn't go down all that well, but hard decision usually don't.

One way of the other, Wagga is going to have one heck of a sporting weekend to kick off May and to entertain the city.

Imagine the influx of visitors for both great events - the Gold Cup pulls them in droves and City-Country should do the same.

Now here's a thought.

Maybe the time is right for Wagga City Council to sit down with the MTC and Wagga Rugby League to work on how best to take advantage of these dual sporting spectaculars.

Wagga mayor Rod Kendall is most assuredly the man to make the best of this remarkable situation.

So let's hope Kendall, and his colleagues, get stuck into planning for Wagga's "next big thing".

Honestly, the Wagga Business Chamber should also be throwing its weight behind the two events, particularly as its membership will reap the massive benefits.

It's just a pity that the business chamber, council and the MTC just can't agree on the one thing the Wagga Gold Cup carnival so desperately wants and needs.

Blind Freddy knows Wagga needs a half-day (better a full-day) holiday for Gold Cup day, but those influential groups can't see it.

Who ever said blinkers are just for bad tempered racehorses?

Group Nine Team of the Week

Fullback: Jordyn Ballard (Cootamundra)

Wingers: Matt Forsyth (Cootamundra), Kitione Rasotale (Tumbarumba)

Centres: Damian Willis (Gundagai), Ethan MacKenzie (Brothers)

Five-eighth: Nathan Rose (Southcity)

Halfback: Liam Duffy (Kangaroos)

Lock: Tom Warner (Brothers)

Second-rowers: Tim Hurst (Southcity), Blake Dunn (Brothers)

Props: Nick Skinner (Southcity), Vince Brown (Gundagai)

Hooker: Glenn Dumbrell (Kangaroos)

* Players can be picked out of position