Derby hopes to draw crowds
IT IS the modern game’s greatest rivalry, and the Queensland Derby is set to bookend what has been a tough NRL season.
In a move that will delight league fans in the Sunshine State, the NRL has scheduled a blockbuster clash between North Queensland and Brisbane for the final round of the season at Suncorp Stadium.
It is a move that could deliver a $1 million bonanza for the Broncos.
The NRL will today release the full draw for the revamped 2020 season ahead of next week’s premiership relaunch.
The Townsville Bulletin can reveal Queensland league fans are in for a treat, with the NRL delivering the clubs a huge win by scheduling the biggest game of the season in Round 20.
The Broncos and Cowboys will meet at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday, September 24, the final weekend of the condensed 20-round season.
That gives every chance of mass gathering restrictions being eased and crowds being allowed into Suncorp to watch Queensland’s highest-rating game of the year.
Crowds will be banned from attending games when the season resumes on Thursday week, costing clubs millions in lost revenue.
The annual blockbuster between Brisbane and North Queensland at Suncorp is worth about $1 million to the Broncos if fans are allowed to attend the 52,500-seat venue.
After playing each other in Round 1 to open Townsville’s new Queensland Country Bank Stadium, the Broncos and Cowboys were originally scheduled to meet again in Round 5 at Suncorp. If that remained the same, fans would not have been allowed in.
Broncos legend Darren Lockyer said it would be a boon for Queensland league fans if crowds were back for the Suncorp derby.
“When things are taken en away from you, you start to apppreciate them so much more,” ,” he said.
“If people feel safe and the e footy reopens to crowds coming back, there will be a lot of people going. The avid league fans will be there and a lot of people are looking for some form of entertainment and will be there as well.”
The Cowboys will restart the reduced season against the Gold Coast Titans at QCB Stadium next Friday night.
All teams will play each other at least once over the 20 rounds of the season, while some teams have been booked for double clashes with the NRL putting emphasis on the rivalries between the clubs.
The Cowboys are expected to play the Sharks and Panthers twice this season, igniting the rivalry between Valentine Holmes and his former club.
The venues for the first nine rounds of the competition will also be revealed today.
The Cowboys have been given the green light to play all of their home games out of their $293.5 million home.