Cowboys, Broncos, to do battle in preseason barney at Barlow Park
The greatest rivalry in the NRL is finally coming to Cairns, with Queensland rivals to face off in the Far North for the first time in February next year.
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THE greatest rivalry in the NRL is finally coming to Cairns.
North Queensland Cowboys chief executive Jeff Reibel will on Wednesday announce the side will take on the Broncos in a pre-season trial game at Barlow Park on February 22.
It will be the first time the Queensland rivals have played each other in the Far North, and marks the Broncos’ first game in Cairns since 1991, when the Cairns Connection, a team featuring some of the best names from the local competition, beat the Broncos 6-4 in front of thousands of fans.
Cairns District Rugby League stalwart Pat Bailey has tried for years to bring the powerhouse side back to Barlow Park, only managing to clinch a flying stop on their way to a trial game – coincidentally against the Cowboys – at Alice Springs in 2011.
Until now.
An excited Bailey said the Cowboys had pushed hard to bring a trial game to Barlow Park, their first visit to the ground since a 21-20 loss to South Sydney Rabbitohs in July last year.
In the Broncos, they have secured an opponent which will excite any league-mad Far North Queensland fan.
The Cowboys could line up with gun Tully product Jake Clifford in the halves and Mareeba’s Ben Hampton alongside established stars Jason Taumalolo and Michael Morgan.
On the other end of the field, a young Broncos’ fearsome forward pack featuring Tigers junior Thomas Flegler alongside NRL Rookie of the Year Payne Haas will gear up for a second season terrorising defences.
Both teams are looking to improve on tough campaigns.
The Cowboys this year missed the finals, finishing 14th in their worst season since 2010, while the Broncos ended their rollercoaster season on the wrong end of a 58-0 belting, the embarrassingly huge Parramatta Eels win the biggest in NRL finals history.
Kenfrost Homes will be naming rights sponsor for the trial, the costs of which Bailey said the CDRL would cover.
The teams are expected to be in Cairns for two days before the game.
Players will run clinics and make appearances during their short stay.
Tickets will go on sale through Ticketlink from November 25.
Keep an eye on cairnspost.com.au for more details.
Originally published as Cowboys, Broncos, to do battle in preseason barney at Barlow Park
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