RUGBY league, the races and the country is basically Jarrod Croker's sweet spot.
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And the Canberra Raiders captain hopes the club Wagga City council can devise a way to make Wagga a second home for the long term after confirmation the city will host their home clash with Newcastle next year.
The match will be held in round nine on May 8, the day after Wagga Gold Cup day, which mirrors the scheduling for last year's Raiders-Penrith clash at Equex Centre.
The two sides were set to meet at Wagga this year before coronavirus forced the Raiders and Wagga city council to postpone the second and final game of their two year deal to next season.
The Raiders have an option to extend the deal into a third year, and Goulburn product and racing enthusiast Croker is hopeful the club will develop a relationship with the city similar to what Penrith enjoys with Bathurst.
"I'd love to see it extended another couple of years," Croker said.
"I'm not sure on the detail of all that but I know the club loves going out for country games, so I don't see why they wouldn't keep going out and playing in Wagga.
"It's been a great area for us and it's a good opportunity to get out there next year and make a whole week of it. Hopefully they can tie it in with the races every year and it's a great weekend for the locals to look forward to."
The Knights are a team on the rise after making finals for the first time since 2013 this year, and Croker said the Raiders are keen for payback after their star fullback Kalyn Ponga spearheaded a 34-18 win in round four.
"We only played them once last year and they gave us a bath, so we're looking forward to playing them again," Croker said.
"They're a top side and played finals for the first time in a few years last year, they're a good side on the up."
A crowd of 10,079 packed Equex Centre for last year's Raiders-Panthers clash, but capacity next year could depend on what COVID protocols are in place in May.
"Being COVID-safe is a part of daily life now ... people understand that and we will need to be aware of that and follow the health guidelines in place at the time of the game," Wagga mayor Greg Conkey said.
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