Gold Coast Titans to kick off NRL Magic Round 2019, with eight games in four days at Suncorp Stadium
GOLD Coast will kick off the NRL’s first Magic Round next year, book-ending eight games in four days at Suncorp Stadium with a Sunday afternoon double-header.
NRL
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THE NRL has backed the Titans to rebound from the start of next season by handing them the sole stand-alone match in its first Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium in May.
The Titans and Sharks will meet on a Thursday night to launch the round in which all 16 clubs will play at Suncorp Stadium, with the NRL extending the concept from three days to four.
The Broncos will play Manly in the late match of a Friday double-header and the Cowboys take on South Sydney in the eighth and last match of the round to close a Sunday double-header.
Gold Coast finished 14th in 2018 and will have played eight matches before the Round 9 extravaganza in Brisbane, which will be the first edition of a multi-year contract between the NRL and State Government.
When the Magic Round was confirmed in June, NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said there would be matches played from Friday to Sunday, with Thursday night not mentioned.
Greenberg set an aim for three sellouts of the 52,500-seat Suncorp Stadium.
But the prospect now is of a smaller attendance on the Thursday night, a school and work night, when the Titans will play one of the less supported Sydney clubs.
The addition of the Thursday night match is a commercial matter related to broadcasting.
“The Magic Round is a great concept, especially playing at the best rugby league stadium in the world — I’m sure the fans will love it,’’ said Titans and Queensland forward Jai Arrow said.
“Hopefully we are doing well by then and get the Titans fans there. All fans from different teams will be there.
“I think it will stick and be around for a long time. We want to do this for the fans and to have all 16 teams play at Suncorp. It’s a great chance to put smiles on kids’ faces.’’
The full NRL season draw will be released this morning.
The only match between two 2018 finals teams in the Magic Round is the Warriors and Dragons clash, the second of an enticing Saturday triple-header.
Both clubs have sizeable supporter bases in Queensland, as do Melbourne and Parramatta, who play the following game to end the triple-header.
Broncos forward Matt Gillett said southeast Queensland league fans would be more likely than those in Sydney to pay to watch matches not involving their club.
“It’s an opportunity to them to watch different teams, not just the home team,’’ Gillett said.
“A lot of teams in Brisbane have good support, such as the Storm and the Dragons.
“I think it’s going to be awesome and I’d be pretty keen to get to the games when we’re not playing.’’
The NRL will capitalise on the presence of all clubs by scheduling a series of public promotions and clinics leading up to and during the four-day festival of matches.
“It will be really good that we’d be asked to come to Brisbane a bit earlier,’’ Queensland forward Coen Hess said.
When the Cowboys play Souths, Hess might have played in front of bigger crowds only in his Origin career, the 2017 grand final and the 2016 double-header which was the precursor to the Magic Round initiative.
A crowd of 52,346 flocked to Suncorp for the 2016 double-header involving the Cowboys, Storm, Broncos and Sea Eagles.
“The Magic Round will be a pretty different atmosphere, with supporters there from every team,’’ Hess said.
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Originally published as Gold Coast Titans to kick off NRL Magic Round 2019, with eight games in four days at Suncorp Stadium