Where to meet your NRL heroes in Darwin

Parramatta Eels and North Queensland Cowboys players will appear at the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets later this month.

The Mindil Beach Sunset Markets will get a dose of rugby star power later this month.

Players from the Parramatta Eels and the North Queensland Cowboys will appear at the iconic markets on April 28 for a signing session for fans from 5.30pm to 6.30pm ahead of the big game at TIO Stadium two days later.

The players will appear at the community space near the Soundshell where tickets can also be purchased or won through a special handpass competition.

Major Events Minister Natasha Fyles said locals and tourists had another reason to visit the markets this month.

The Paramatta Eels took on the Brisbane Broncos at TIO Stadium in April last year. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images).

“The player signing will be a rare chance for Territory League fans to meet their sporting heroes, and for interstate fans to combine the experience with a visit to our famous markets,” Minister Fyles said.

“Combining sport with a tourism attraction like the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets is a great combination.”

Eels co-captain Clint Gutherson said Darwin was the club’s favourite away game because it “feels like home for us”.

“We mark the NT game in our calendar as soon as the NRL draw is released,” Gutherson said.

Cowboys general manager of football Micheal Luck said the NT was home to a large supporter base for his club.

Former NRL stars help raise $450K through 'extreme' Territory trek

Raising money for the Mark Hughes Foundation, former Newcastle Knights players including Hughes, Kurt Gidley, Paul Harragon, Bill Peden, Steve Crowe and Brad Godden took part in the Top End Challenge – a massive 400km ride, 35km hike and 16km paddle trek – while hitting its goal of $450,000.

Hughes said 31 trekkers came from all walks of life for the trip, which started last weekend in Darwin, raising money for four, foundation-funded Brain Cancer Care Coordinators in NSW.

A clearly exhausted Hughes told NT News the group travelled up to 100km each day on mountain bikes, taking in Katherine Gorge, Kakadu, the Jatbula Trail and Litchfield National Park.

Hughes said the group had to battle some “extreme” heat during the trip, too.

“The heat coming off the road, it felt like it was 45 (degrees), it was hot, more than they were used to,” Hughes said.

Jarrod Blamey, Mark Hughes and Paul "Chief" Harragon. Picture: Matt Kelson.

“We had some amazing experiences in Darwin, around Kakadu, learned a lot about history and art, swam in some amazing water holes.

“We weren’t going in one line, we got around to a lot of different places.”

He said the trip was a “huge adventure” for the group.

“We loved it. We set out to do 400km, I’m not sure if we hit it but it was a lot of hard work,” he said.

“The main focus was the money we raised.”

Hughes and his fellow trekkers have already tackled the Mount Everest Base Camp, Mount Kilimanjaro, Borneo’s Sandakan Death March and the Kokoda Track in recent years, raising $1.6m so far for the charity.

You can donate at: mhtopenadventure.gofundraise.com.au

Darwin's rugby league launching pad

There has been a ten per cent increase in rugby league participation across the Northern Territory over the past year but player retention remains an issue, the sport’s new general manager has told NT News.

With the men’s A Grade season starting on April 23, Tony Crowe, the former operations manager of NRL Western Australia, said opportunities to build the sport in the Territory were “through the roof”.

“Rugby has always been good at recruitment, but we’re terrible at retention,” Crowe said, sometimes due to poor relationships with coaches, volunteers, venues or administration.

“A lot of kids coming through the front door are then going out the back door.

“That’s across the board.”

However, he said the Territory was “more rugby league-centric than probably Perth or Adelaide and probably even Victoria to a certain extent”.

“Participation numbers per capita, NT is the third biggest for rugby league,” he said.

“Well in front of Western Australia, well in front of Victoria and poor old South Australia is a distant last in that space”.

New NRLNT general manager Tony Crowe says there has been a 10 per cent rise in rugby league participation over the past year. Picture: Patch Clapp.

The league has also confirmed there been a nine per cent increase in participation within NRLNT.

Crowe said he was committed to building “ongoing participation growth” in the NT and understanding the needs of women’s rugby, which needed a tailored approach.

“I think we’ve got to look at it more holistically,” he said at NRLNT’s official launch on Wednesday night at Marrara.

“A lot of coaches, volunteers, presidents, they’re treating the girls like they treat the boys.

“We’ve got to be better at understanding how to work with the girls.”

He also declared a “passion to do what’s right for the game”, support volunteership within the code and having one-on-one meetings with individual clubs and committees.

Mr Crowe said there was plenty of work to be done to progress women’s rugby league. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson.

“I’m a massive believer our game is only as good as our people,” Crowe said.

“Words are cheap, it’s more about what we do as a team. I’m all about working with the clubs.

“I’m big on volunteers (too). I can’t wait to hit the ground running.”

At the launch, Sports Minister Kate Worden said the Territory Government was committed to seeing the groundwork being completed this year to build new rugby facilities in Alice Springs, which would service both union and league.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Minister Worden said.

“We will do all the groundwork this year with (the league) to make sure we get that right in Alice Springs and grow the sport.

“We’re very excited about that…. it’s finally going to happen.”

She also said 10 per cent growth in NT participation was “amazing” and was due to important work being done outside of the regular season.