Sport and Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe not opposed to Toowoomba’s NRL bid after players complete quarantine

Queensland’s Sport and Tourism Minister says the State Government would not oppose an NRL match being held in Toowoomba. But one major condition has to be met.

Tourism and Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe (left) and Toowoomba South MP and Deputy Opposition Leader David Janetzki.

Toowoomba’s bid to host an NRL game took another step forward, after the state government confirmed it was not opposed to the concept once players and officials had completed mandatory quarantine conditions.

The comments from Sport and Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe come as a dozen NRL clubs start relocating to Queensland to escape the growing Covid-19 outbreak south of the border.

Brisbane as well as the Gold and Sunshine Coasts will host games over the next two weeks while teams were situated in their quarantine hubs, under strict conditions.

But after this period finished, Mr Hinchliffe said the only thing stopping a match coming to the Garden City would be the NRL.

“The NRL has always had a great tradition of playing pre-season and premiership games in the regional cities of the game’s heartland,” he said in a statement to the Chronicle.

“Right now, NRL players and officials are in Queensland hubs under strict quarantine and bio security conditions as approved by the chief health officer.

“Once the NRL’s quarantine period has been completed, any matches that could potentially be played outside the NRL game bubble could then be considered but that would be a decision for the NRL.”

Deputy Opposition Leader and Toowoomba South MP David Janetzki became the latest local figure to throw their support behind the bid, which has earned almost unanimous support from the region’s political, business and tourism leaders.

Mr Janetzki called on the NRL to make the concept a reality, saying Toowoomba “deserved” to host a match.

“Toowoomba and southwest Queensland is rugby league heartland and deserves to be part of the NRL season,” he told The Chronicle.

“Our people are passionate for the game, we’ve got the facilities and we’re willing to play our role to keep the NRL season afloat.

“This is an opportunity to inspire our next generation of Thurstons, Lockyers and Webckes.”

Toowoomba North MP Trevor Watts also backed the city’s bid to host its first NRL match since 2018.

“Bringing a game to Toowoomba would be a great opportunity to help our struggling hospitality and accommodation sectors,” he said.

“We have the stadium and we’ve done it before, so this is a great opportunity.”

While the NRL has officially stated the competition would be based out of Queensland for a month, many pundits and experts believe it could continue until the end of the season.

The Titans and Eels will play at 6pm at Cbus Super Stadium on Friday night before the Sea Eagles face the Dragons immediately afterwards.

A second double-header will be held at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, featuring the Warriors, Panthers, Tigers and Broncos.

The only team currently allowed to host matches outside of Queensland is Melbourne.