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he State of Origin Rugby League series will be played outside the three Eastern States for the first time, with the NRL signing a multi-million-dollar deal with the Barnett Government for NSW and Queensland to face off in Perth.
Game two of the 2019 three-game State of Origin series will be played at the new Perth Stadium.
The match between the Queensland Maroons and the NSW Blues is arguably Australian sport’s fiercest rivalry.
And in another break with tradition which the government hopes will provide an additional boost to the tourist economy, the match will not be played mid-week but on a weekend.
The hope is that the weekend fixture will both encourage more fans to travel west – and for them to spend an extra night or two in Perth and the South West as part of their trip.
Premier and Tourism Minister Colin Barnett would not go into specifics about how much the government has paid to bring the game to Perth, citing the competitive bidding market for major sporting events, but said it was “several million dollars”.
He said rugby league fans would enjoy one of Australia’s biggest annual sporting events in the nation’s newest and most advanced stadium.
It is the first event to be funded by $19 million set aside in the State Budget for bidding on a pipeline of major events to fill the $1.4 billion stadium.
State Government announces Origin coup. Pictured in front of the new stadium l to r are Lochlan Christy, Premier Colin Barnett and Shamaia Gray. Picture: Ian Munro The West Australian.
“It does not come cheap,” Mr Barnett said.
“But I expect huge numbers of people to come over from other states and we will fill the stadium.”
The Premier predicted the match would be one of the biggest sporting events in WA’s history, rivalling the 1962 Commonwealth Games.
NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg said he expected WA fans to embrace rugby league’s showcase event.
“Taking Origin to new venues has huge benefits for our game. It grows the game in other markets and showcases our premium product to a new audience,” he said.
Apart from a one-off exhibition game in 1987 in Los Angeles – which did not count towards deciding the three-game series which has been contested annually since 1982 – State of Origin has not been played outside Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne.
Melbourne has hosted six of the 108 games played – three at the MCG, two Etihad Stadium, and one at Olympic Park – the most recent of which saw 91,513 pack the ‘G for game two last year.
Thirty-nine thousand people travelled from interstate to that game, and the government believes that if half that many travel to Perth, it will amount to a $15 million injection into the State’s economy.
More than 4.4 million people watched the first State of Origin game on television this year, the largest TV audience in the series’ history, out-rating the AFL Grand Final and the Melbourne Cup.
State of Origin is the first confirmed one-off major event for the stadium, which is due to open ahead of the 2018 AFL season.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/32059554/nrl-to-bring-state-of-origin-to-new-perth-stadium/
Bloody Mungos.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
Meh. I just can't see many Qlders and NSWers trekking all the way over here at great expense when they can watch it on the TV. What research did the WA Gov do to come up with the idea that it would inject $millions into our economy? Barnett surely realises the east coast doesn't love spending a weekend in sleepy backwater Perth anywhere near as much as the west coast loves going to big events in Syd & Melb? How awks if the stadium is half empty?!
Last edited by Alison; 14-07-16 at 21:08.
Proudly Western Australian; Proudly supporting Western Australian rugby
It will totally be packed Alison. Shame it's game 2, the only one the blues can win lately is the dead rubber!
C'mon the![]()
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"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
Just like Nib will jammed on Saturday, so will this be in 2019, awaiting Bledisloe announcement next![]()
80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?
Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!
Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!
Perth is apparently having a crack at the 2019 or 2020 NRL Grand Final as ANZ Stadium is being redeveloped.
Great time to be a sports fan in Perth.
Speaking of which. Anyone going to see those lieing, cheating, stealing Sivertails on the weekend![]()
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?
Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!
Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!
7 "Dead Rubber" origins since 2000 but that includes when a side has achieved a whitewash.
2000: NSW 3-0
2003: NSW 2-1
2007: Qld 2-1
2009: Qld 2-1
2010: Qld 3-0
2014: NSW 2-1
2016: Qld 2-1
Going further back the dead rubbers actually line up in NSW's favour (i.e NSW led the series 2-0 going into game 3) not the other way around as GIGS has suggested.
There you go again, letting "facts* and" logic" spoil a great argument.
I can see why you frustrate jono so much
C'mon the![]()
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I know from living in Melbourne that a lot of people over there kept telling me they have always wanted to come to Perth but have never got around to it. Sometimes people just need a reason to come and maybe this will be it for a lot of people over East.