Broncos hire private charter flight to Townsville in preparation for crucial Cowboys clash

THE Broncos will jet into Townsville on a private charter flight they hope will give them a crucial advantage in the battle for the NRL premiership.

Wayne Bennett wants to give his players the best chance. Image: Annette Dew

ALL aboard the Wayne Plane.

The Broncos will jet into Townsville on Wednesday on a private charter flight they hope will give them a crucial advantage in the battle for the NRL premiership.

Brisbane will clash with North Queensland at 1300 SMILES Stadium on Thursday night in what is shaping up to be another explosive derby.

The Broncos will head straight to the airport after the game and fly back to Brisbane so they can slip into their own beds before 2am instead of staying in a hotel and heading home Friday.

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The Wayne Plane. *It is possible that this image may have been digitally altered.

The theory is the players will get a headstart on their preparations for the first week of the NRL finals in which the Broncos are likely to play an away game.

“This time of year we are really mindful (of the players’ preparation),” Broncos chief executive Paul White said.

“The ability to get them back on the night of the game will hopefully give us a real benefit in terms of rehab and preparation for the first week of the finals.”

The Wayne Plane II. Wayne Bennett wants to give his players the best chance. Picture: Annette Dew

In a piece of shrewd planning, Broncos commercial staff have booked 70 corporate supporters to travel with Wayne Bennett’s team to offset the cost of what could have been a $50,000 trip.

The NRL pays for team travel — usually 18 players plus support staff — and the Broncos have negotiated with the league to make their usual travel contribution.

The Broncos organised a similar trip for supporters to Auckland last year, which coincided with a terrible draw schedule and short turnarounds for the team during State of Origin.

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“We’ve worked with the NRL to come up with this transport solution,” White said.

“It’s about player welfare and we also get the opportunity to take a large corporate group up there.

“If we had to go on normal commercial flights we might not have been able to take up the numbers we are taking up there.

“We have supporters in north Queensland and some people will travel to the game as well.

“Hopefully we can add to their atmosphere and put a bit into the Townsville economy while we’re up there.”

While Brisbane have secured a top-four finish, a win against the Cowboys would give them hope of finishing second and nabbing a home final in the first week.

They are guaranteed to play at Suncorp Stadium at some time during the finals series but must overcome season-ending injuries to hooker Andrew McCullough (knee) and prop Korbin Sims (broken arm) if they are going to snap an 11-year premiership drought.

“We are working towards a goal at the end of the season,” forward Matt Gillett said.

“A step forward is Thursday night and getting that right with the team we have at the moment.

“It’s about playing good footy and coming into the finals with a strong mindset.”

The Cowboys are hopeful of a crowd of 24,000 at the 25,000-capacity stadium despite the Thursday night scheduling setback.