Salter Oval preps for Bundaberg Cowboys vs. Bulldogs NRL game

A regional Queensland Bulldogs vs. Cowboys game, expected to draw a massive crowd, is one step closer after experts visited the field this week. Here’s what they had to say.

Canterbury Bulldogs CEO, Aaron Warburton, Team Manager Stephen Litvensky, Suncorp Stadium Curator Mal Caddies and the groundsman for Bundaberg's Salter Oval inspect the playing ground before the Bulldogs and Cowboys match on August 7.

Aside from a few patches to fill in after cricket season, Salter Oval has been given the tick of approval by a professional curator for the much-anticipated Cowboys and Bulldogs NRL game in Bundaberg.

Executives from the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs team were in town this week, putting the final touches on their logistics before the match against the Northern Queensland team in August.

The visit included meeting with Mal, a Suncorp Stadium curator who inspected Salter Oval on Tuesday with feedback on the ground’s suitability for the game.

While there were some expected dents in the playing surface due to cricket season, the rest of the ground received positive feedback.

“It’s been checked by a Suncorp Stadium curator, and we’re compliant, all prepared and we’re on track,” Bundaberg-based Canterbury Bulldogs director Andrew Gifford told the NewsMail

While there's a patch or two in the ground after cricket season, it's nothing the Salter Oval groundsman can't fix in time for the Bulldogs vs. Cowboys match.

The NRL has the final say come game-day.

Bulldogs CEO Aaron Warburton said he hoped bringing the match to Bundy would help increase interest in the game.

“Everything from trying to grow participation to trying to identify the next bulldog player to come through,” Mr Warburton said.

“Everyone’s got a team, and if not, we want it to be the Bulldogs, and we want to see lots of Bulldogs fans pack Salter Oval.”

The club has a three-year commitment to Bundaberg in partnership with the council, State Government and NRL, but whether the deal will mean the Bulldogs play a game each year beyond 2022 in the Wide Bay’s sporting capital is yet to be determined.

Canterbury Bulldogs CEO, Aaron Warburton, Team Manager Stephen Litvensky, Director Andrew Gifford, Suncorp Stadium Curator Mal Caddies and the groundsman for Bundaberg's Salter Oval inspect the playing ground before the Bulldogs and Cowboys match on August 7.

The CEO said it wasn’t just games the club were interested in, but the talent.

Mr Warburton said Bundaberg was one of rugby league’s best kept secrets when it came to developing talented footballers after they signed local student, Blake Powter.

“We’ve got our finger on the pulse and signed a 15-year-old from Shalom College,” he said.

The region is known in the NRL community for churning out two household names in Kaufusi brothers Antonio and Felise.

“There is talent that won’t fall through the cracks in Bundaberg,” Mr Warburton said.

You can catch the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs take on the North Queensland Cowboys in round 21 at Salter Oval on Sunday, August 7 from 2pm.

Tickets go on sale on the NRL’s website from mid-June.