THE ball is rolling on the push for Wagga to host an NRL premiership match, with key figures from the city’s rugby league community throwing their weight behind the bid.
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On Monday, The Daily Advertiser launched its Our Sporting Chance campaign to lobby the NRL to host a premiership match in the City of Good Sports, and Racing NSW to bring a standalone Saturday meeting to Wagga.
Former NRL player turned William Farrer Hotel publican Dave Barnhill is backing the push, with an NRL premiership match set to be more successful than the blockbuster City-Country match at Equex on Sunday in his eyes.
Mr Barnhill was part of the Roosters team during the 1998 season, when they played a game against the Gold Coast Chargers at Eric Weissel Oval, but unfortunately missed the clash due to a broken arm.
He spent the week in the lead-up to that clash doing development work in the city’s schools and recalled “a lot of hype” around the city at the time.
“The sport’s grown a lot since I was playing and if we can get a club game down here with some decent supported clubs, it would be as big, if not bigger, than City-Country,” he said.
“We’ve seen what Albury did."
That game attracted an estimated crowd of around 6000, according to the Advertiser’s post-match report, despite being played in freezing wintry conditions featuring driving rain and sleet.
The Our Sporting Chance campaign also has the backing of Group Nine Rugby League, with president John Morton calling on the NRL to help make the push a reality.
“I think (a premiership match in Wagga) is a massive bonus for the country and its just good for football,” he said.
“If it’s good for football, it must be good for the NRL.”
Mr Morton said Sunday’s representative clash was one of the best things the city had seen and had easily eclipsed previous editions in Dubbo, Mudgee and Coffs Harbour.
