North QLD Cowboys vs Brisbane Broncos: Inside pre-season Mackay match

We’ve had NRL semi-finals, we’ve had international cricket, but Mackay has now been rewarded with Queensland’s biggest sporting rivalry. Find out the details here.

For a region that went without consistent professional sport for a long period of time, Mackay is certainly getting its money’s worth now.

The sugar city, which hosted five NRL games, three international cricket matches and nine women’s Big Bash clashes, has secured one of Queensland’s biggest rivalries.

North Queensland Cowboys are set to battle it out against Brisbane Broncos at BB Print Stadium in a pre-season match in February.

Tom Dearden will return to Mackay for a North Queensland Cowboys v Brisbane Broncos pre-season match in February. Picture: Ian Hitchcock

The match is scheduled to take place on Saturday, February 26, with a sell-out crowd expected.

Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson said planning for the match was under way, with seating a main source of discussion.

“We’re working on the NRL pre-season match,” Mr Williamson said.

“It (extra seating) depends on Covid as well, the last time we had the Cowboys play here we had 8000 people in the stadium and that was packed.

“That was no seating on the hill, you can pack a lot more people on the hill if there’s no seating.”

A number of former Mackay Cutters are expected to don the Cowboys colours in their return to BB Print Stadium.

Daejarn Asi, Tom Dearden, Ben Condon and Emry Pere played their football between Mackay and Townsville in 2021, and should all get time on the pitch in the pre-season.

North Queensland Cowboys training at Hutchinson Builders Centre. Daejarn Asi, Picture: Evan Morgan

Mackay’s hosting duties in 2021 was rewarded with two NRL semi-finals, and the trend of football in the sugar city will continue into the 2022 season.

The Sydney Roosters opted to schedule a ‘home game’ next season in Mackay, after the side visited BB Print Stadium three times in 2021.

Ben Condon. NRL; North Queensland Cowboys Vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville. Picture: Alix Sweeney

After a successful WBBL Festival of Cricket at Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mr Williamson said the region had earned the recognition from elite sporting organisations.

“It’s getting Mackay’s name out there as a regional sporting capital,” he said.

Emry Pere during the North Queensland Cowboys pre-season training at Hutchinson Builders Centre in Townsville. Picture: Matthew Elkerton

“It’s been a tremendous result to get Mackay’s name out there and you can’t buy that sort of publicity.

“The Roosters have come back to us because they had such a good time here.

“For them to elect to have one of their home games here next year is a great testament, not just to the sporting genres in this town, but to the whole community that gets behind it.”

Originally published as North QLD Cowboys vs Brisbane Broncos: Inside pre-season Mackay match