WE’RE READY: Toowoomba’s case to host NRL

BORDER HOPPERS: An NRL team playing out of Toowoomba in 2020? Here’s why it’s not as crazy as it sounds.

RUGBY LEAGUE: The Toowoomba Rabbitohs running out for their round 15 match against Manly.

Sounds crazy right?

A little, but stranger things have happened, and with the coronavirus pandemic starting to slowly rear its head in New South Wales again, options could be undertaken to ensure the NRL season isn't postponed once again.

Legendary analyst Phil 'Gus' Gould said on 100% Footy on Monday night that Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys would do everything he could to keep the game running.

 

"They (the NRL) are ready to go, if in fact the borders shut again and we're in lockdown again, Peter V'landys will pick up the teams and move them to Queensland or anywhere else he has to do to keep the competition going," Gould said.

"He will do everything and anything he can to play. They've got it prepared. They're ready. Planes are at the ready."

With 11 NSW/ACT teams, plus the Central Coast-based New Zealand Warriors, Brisbane would be stretched to capacity to host everyone.

The Sunshine Coast is already hosting the Storm, with North Queensland and Gold Coast now playing out of their home grounds.

Towns like Ipswich, Redcliffe and Mackay would feature prominently in talks, but none have the recent NRL exposure that the Garden City has.

The region has shown it has what it takes to stage an NRL fixture, with the Toowoomba Sports Ground hosting the Titans and Dragons in 2018, broadcast across the screens of Channel 9 and Fox Sports.

Now, if push comes to shove, Toowoomba ticks every box required to provide a temporary home for an NRL club if given the chance.

 

COVID SAFE REGION

Toowoomba Regional Council deputy mayor Geoff McDonald said it would make perfect sense for the Garden City to come into serious considerations.

"There's no better place than Toowoomba," McDonald said.

"We've had no positive cases for almost 100 days, and as far as a spot, the airport is a big opportunity for us.

"Teams can fly straight in, be in their bubble and do what they need to do.

"It's an hour and 20 from Suncorp, and a little bit further from the Gold Coast.

"It's one of the reasons why the community has pushed to have higher levels of sport of any nature, like basketball, football and league, because of the locality and Toowoomba is a heartland of sport generally.

"We've been a nursery of the game since it began here in 1919."

 

Cory Paix, Western Mustangs. Mal Meninga Cup Semi-Final. Western Mustangs vs Easts Tigers . Sunday, 30th April, 2017.

 

FIRST GRADE PEDIGREE

There is an abundance of first grade players that plied their trade as juniors on the Darling Downs.

From Dalby's Beau Fermor and Andrew McCullough, to Toowoomba locals Cory Paix and Ash Taylor, Highfields' Brodie Croft and Ethan Lowe from Goondiwindi, we are well represented in the top flight.

"With the current crop in the NRL and Intrust Super Cup, there's a sprinkling of players from Toowoomba and surrounding regions everywhere you look," McDonald said.

"The production line of the sport comes from regional areas, whether it's a player, official or supporter.

"There's no better space than our region, we've got all the ingredients there, there just needs to be a will from NRL clubs and then specifically the benefits of building their fanbase here and to our west."

 

Happy St George Illawarra Dragons supporters after defeating Gold Coast Titans in NRL round 3 at Clive Berghofer Stadium, Sunday, March 25, 2018.

 

BENEFITS EXTEND BEYOND 2020 SEASON

McDonald said the benefits of this fanbase extended to clubs would extend far beyond the immediate season, with residents latching on to a team.

"There would be economic and social benefits, not only for our regions but for the clubs themselves," he said.

"Being connected to regional Australia is something NRL clubs have been working on for many years, and for us to almost adopt a team could be something they look at.

"The Sunshine Coast is doing a great job with the Storm, so there's no reason why other regional areas couldn't benefit from this.

"If there's something that the pandemic has brought, it's lateral thinking to solutions."

 

MUSTANGS A CASE STUDY

The focus of the Western Mustangs has naturally been their participation in the QRL statewide competitions.

In recent times they have renewed the push for inclusion into the Intrust Super Cup competition, continuing on the legacy of the Clydesdales.

But unwittingly, the Mustangs could serve as the perfect case study if an NRL team was to relocate to Toowoomba for the rest of the 2020 season.

Hastings Deering Colts coach Eugene Seddon knows better than most the intricacies of running a statewide league team out of Toowoomba.

The club conducts its high performance program out of The Fit Lab, a facility that received praise from a man regarded by some as the best rugby league coach of all time.

"If there were to move, there's no reason why a team couldn't base here," Seddon said.

"The Fit Lab has its high performance centre, and talking to Steve Nance (former Broncos strength and conditioning coach), he thinks its just as good as what NRL clubs have presently.

"When Wayne Bennett was up here, he made the same comment.

"When you're talking about a training base, there's a field that has hosted an NRL game.

"As far as the football department point of view, everything is already here."

 

New service by REX - Regional Express Service starts at Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport.Photo Bev Lacey / The Chronicle

 

NEED TO TRAVEL? NO WORRIES

With the Mustangs endeavours, they've travelled the state from Cairns and Townsville, through to Mackay and central Queensland.

Seddon said with the combination of an airport and easy access to Brisbane, entry to and from Toowoomba hasn't caused the slightest of concerns.

"Travel hasn't been an issue. The bus services here and the airport at Wellcamp we've used a few times and it hasn't been a problem," he said.

"As far as teams flying in on a charter flight, there's easy access for teams that need to fly into our region.

"If push comes to shove, this only strengthens and highlights the resources here for a (Mustangs) Intrust Super Cup push.

"If we can host an NRL team, what's stopping us from hosting an ISC team?"

The Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast Titans played out a pre-season NRL trial at Clive Berghofer Stadium earlier this year.

FIRST CLASS HOME BASE

McDonald echoed the sentiments of Seddon about the standard of the Toowoomba Sports Ground.

"We've been able to retrofit the oval, and because it is state government owned, it would receive good support from the state government to see it happen again," McDonald said.

"It hosted Gold Coast vs St George Illawarra when they were getting ready for the Commonwealth Games, and this is a bit similar with it being potentially forced on them.

"One of the impediments of having NRL teams is the cost of having players here that the host club forgoes. It's a bit different now, you can't have the (same) number of people at the ground, which means there's no better chance for regional towns."