Broncos, Dolphins set to NRL create history at Suncorp Stadium with 100,000-fan NRL first

An NRL scheduling conflict with the Broncos and Dolphins is set to create history in Brisbane, with up to 100,000 fans to descend on Suncorp Stadium for an unprecedented event.

The Broncos and Dolphins are on a collision course that could see Brisbane create NRL history with a one-day Suncorp Stadium extravaganza attracting 100,000 fans and injecting millions into the River City.

This masthead can reveal an NRL draw scheduling conflict has the potential to deliver Brisbane an unprecedented sporting event.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred may have crossed south east Queensland last month but his remnants are still being felt.

The weather event forced the Dolphins to shift their NRL season-opening home game at Suncorp against Wayne Bennett’s Rabbitohs from Brisbane to Sydney at the eleventh hour.

That meant the scheduled round 17 Rabbitohs-Dolphins clash in Sydney on June 28 was relocated to Brisbane.

However the Broncos already had a home game scheduled that Saturday – a 3pm kick-off against the Warriors at Suncorp Stadium.

Suncorp Stadium cost host twice as many people as a day at Magic Round. Photo: Steve Pohlner

While Suncorp has hosted multiple games on the same day, as evidenced by the NRL’s Magic Round, the venue has never had a full turnover for separate matches.

But that is exactly what Queensland’s premier stadium and NRL is now hoping to achieve with the Broncos-Warriors and Dolphins-Rabbitohs games to be played on the same day, just hours apart, with entirely separate crowds.

The exercise will see an expected crowd of close to 50,000 for the Broncos game against the hugely-popular Warriors clear out of the stadium within an hour of full-time.

The stadium will then be turned over within about an hour and re-open its gates for the Dolphins game, currently scheduled for a 7.35pm kick-off, which could attract another bumper crowd given South Sydney’s huge supporter base and the return of Bennett to face his former club.

Suncorp Stadium boss Alan Graham said he was confident of pulling off the feat if the NRL decided to retain the current schedule.

Herbie Farnworth will be looking to light-up Suncorp for the Dolphins in the second game. (Photo by Mackenzie Sweetnam/Getty Images)

“We can do it,” he said.

“At this stage we are waiting for the NRL. They are yet to make a final call. It all happened very quickly when they had to transfer the game and they’ve been looking at two or three options.

“We are looking at how we can make things happen. We are open to whatever way it goes.

“It would be a bit like Magic Round. The only difference is you’d have to clean out and bring in a new crowd.

“It will test some things and we’ve still got a lot of work to do if it goes that way but we’ve got a good team and can definitely make it work.

“If it does go that way we’d have to throw all of our resources and ingenuity at it to see how we can pull it off.

“We’d work collaboratively with both clubs. We have to make sure the Broncos get their benefits and entitlements, including the fans, and the same for the Dolphins.

“It will be a challenge to meet those expectations but we will work through it. There’ll be a few hairpin corners, but we’ll see how we go.”

While two matches will be played on the same day, they can’t be scheduled as a double-header on one ticket.

That is because Broncos and Dolphins members and corporates already have dedicated seats and boxes that would be double-booked. The Broncos game is also already on-sale to the public.

The clubs also have extensive sponsorship and partnership obligations to fulfil with signage and activations at the ground.

There is a possibility kick-off time for the Dolphins game could be pushed back slightly to ensure the stadium is ready for an influx of new fans entering.

The NRL is liaising with broadcaster Foxtel and it is possible Fox League could host its Super Saturday program from Suncorp, creating a carnival-like atmosphere for the day.

The stadium’s surrounding area, especially Caxton Street, would likely be inundated with footy fans who could watch the Broncos game in nearby pubs before walking over to Suncorp to attend the Dolphins game, and vice versa, injecting millions into businesses.

Caxton Street will be buzzing. Photo Steve Pohlner

While Magic Round attracts daily crowds of 50,000, the two separate events means the total crowd figure would be around the 70-100,000 figure.

The Dolphins have the option of playing the game at their 10,000-seat Kayo Stadium homebase at Redcliffe, but the Rabbitohs fixture is one of their highest-drawing fixtures of the year and would cost the club hundreds of thousands of dollars at the gate.

Dolphins CEO Terry Reader said the club hoped it could pull off the Suncorp show and create history in Brisbane.

“We’re hopeful of having the game at Suncorp Stadium,” he said.

“We are still working through logistics with the stadium, NRL and broadcasters. That’s where it is at the moment.

“The goal is to pull off having the game at Suncorp on the Saturday.”

While the Dolphins will have some challenges to navigate, the Broncos are unlikely to be inconvenienced by the exercise given they are the first game on the day.

Originally published as Broncos, Dolphins set to NRL create history at Suncorp Stadium with 100,000-fan NRL first