The Townsville Bulletin lists five reasons why State of Origin should come to Townsville
Townsville has a golden chance of securing a State of Origin game, and the Townsville Bulletin has listed five reasons why it should come here
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Townsville has a golden opportunity of securing a State of Origin game, and the Townsville Bulletin has listed five reasons why it should come here
WE ARE THE HEARTLAND OF RUGBY LEAGUE
Arguably no other region in Australia loves its rugby league more than North Queensland.
No statistic will ever measure how passionate a set of fans are, but when it comes to dedication, NQ surely comes out on top.
On many weekends during the NRL seasons fans travel far and wide to attend North Queensland Cowboys’ games, even the games that fall on a school night.
Hopping from one suburb in Sydney to another might seem like a big deal to some, and the same could be said for Brisbane, but when you meet season ticket holders from areas such as Mount Isa, Mackay and Innisfail in their usual seats at QCBS, you get an idea of how dedicated NQW footy fans are.
They deserve to be rewarded with the opportunity to watch footy’s greatest showpiece in their own region.
WE ARE A PRODUCTION GROUND OF ORIGIN TALENT
Michael Morgan, Valentine Holmes, Sam Thaiday, Gene Miles, Gorden Tallis, Aidan Guerra.
Add other names like Greg Dowling, Justin O’Neill, Matty Bowen, Ty Williams and Jacob Lillyman, and you get the idea.
Townsville and North Queensland has provided a conveyor belt of talent to State of Origin, and they have given Origin some of its greatest ever moments.
But not once did they ever get to play an Origin game in their home region before their own fans.
The argument could be made North Queensland did not have the facilities to host an Origin game in the past, but times have definitely changed.
Queensland Country Bank Stadium is more than capable of staging a spectacle worthy of Origin, and our homegrown Origin talent deserve their chance to shine on NQ soil.
THE COWBOYS HAVE BECOME ONE OF THE NRL’S MOST SUCCESSFUL CLUBS
Both on and off the field, the North Queensland Cowboys have been kicking goals.
In 2015 they secured the region’s first NRL premiership, and the club has played in three NRL grand finals.
For a region with a fraction of the population of Sydney and southeast Queensland, this is an impressive level of success, and a testament to the love and dedication that people in NQ have to their footy.
Cowboys chairman Lewis Ramsay has offered the club’s resources towards helping bring State of Origin to Townsville and the North Queensland region.
Given the success of regular home season games at QCBS, the Cowboys will bring their expertise to the table and help make Game One an Origin spectacle to remember.
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
In normal circumstances QCBS might be considered too small for a State of Origin game.
But these are not normal circumstances.
The vast majority of people never saw Covid-19 coming, and now the virus is again rearing its ugly head in Victoria, where Game One is slated to be played on June 9.
Queensland has luckily dodged the worst that Australia has experienced with Covid-19, in particular NQ, and now a golden-plated opportunity to stage an Origin game has come our way.
Not only would be a sporting spectacle, it would be another much-needed boost to Townsville’s economy, which has suffered under the strain of Covid-19 like other parts of Australia.
This weekend’s festival of footy featuring both NRL and Super Rugby is expected to generate close to $2 million, so just imagine what kind of benefits Townsville and NQ would reap if it hosted footy’s top showpiece.
WE’VE DONE THIS BEFORE
In 2004 The North Queensland Cowboys secured their first semi-final, and it was set to be played in Brisbane against the Brisbane Broncos.
But a groundswell of momentum from NQ and the rugby league community resulted in the game being shifted to Townsville at short notice, and what happened next will live in the memory of Cowboys’ fans forever.
The clash was a sellout, the game was incredible and the atmosphere was unlike anything experienced by local footy fans.
Official attendance figures for the game had 24,989 fans at the game, but ask anyone who was there and the excitement rivalled anything experienced at bigger grounds like Suncorp Stadium and Stadium Australia.
Townsville has hosted blockbuster games at short notice before, and it will have no problem doing it again.
Originally published as The Townsville Bulletin lists five reasons why State of Origin should come to Townsville
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