WAGGA’S push to bring NRL premiership football to the city has received the backing of one of Channel Nine’s most senior NRL figures.
Nine’s Executive Producer of Network Sport Matt Callander said the team sent to Wagga for Sunday’s City-Country game were thoroughly impressed with the facilities on offer – and they’re ready to come back should the NRL bring more football to the city.
“I’ve had nothing but compliments of Wagga from my crew who were down there,” he said. “We just had a technical meeting (on Wednesday) morning and they were very happy with things.”
Mr Callander is the latest rugby league figure to lend his support to the Advertiser’s Our Sporting Chance campaign – a push to bring an NRL premiership clash to the City of Good Sports.
Some of Channel Nine’s big name rugby league presenters who were on hand to call the City-Country game were among those to deliver praise of Wagga back to the network’s Sydney base, including Yvonne Sampson and Andrew Johns.
“The boys said it was a knowledgeable crowd and they loved interacting with … great footy fans who know their footy,” Mr Callander said.
The smooth experience of the Channel Nine crew over the weekend came despite the NRL being forced to reschedule City-Country at the last minute when torrential rain wiped out the Anzac Test on the Friday night.
“We had to change a lot of travel plans – considering all that it went quite smoothly from our end,” Mr Callander said.
“From all reports everyone in Wagga were really helpful with the change of time.”
Mr Callander was due to come to Wagga to personally oversee the City-Country broadcast but was forced to stay in Brisbane with the postponement of the Anzac Test to Sunday afternoon.
The scene at Equex Centre came up a treat on television screens on Sunday afternoon, with the ground bathed in sunshine and packed to the rafters with more than 9000 spectators.
