Double up on the fun
Two NRL finals set to bring the city alive
FOOTY fever is alive and kicking in North Queensland as Townsville prepares to host a NRL finals double header.
Preparations have been underway at the stadium since staff found out on Sunday, with the Queensland Country Bank Stadium crew no stranger to hosting major events after an All Stars game to kick off the season and
State of Origin Game One. The NRL is expecting about 20,000 people to attend the game.
Stadium manager Tom Kimball said the stadium was in a privileged position to be hosting the double header.
He said it would have only been sweeter if the Cowboys were taking the field.
“We saw what it did to the city in 2015 when they won and they nearly went all the way again in 2017,” Mr Kimball said. “We know the Cowboys are going to come back, and come back hard.”
Stadium groundsman Bruce Fouracre said the ground was in good condition.
“We had a game last Saturday night, got a seven-day turnaround, I’ve been trying to look at the moisture during the week and keep it down as much as I can,” he said.
Mr Fouracre’s grass came into question following the last Cowboys game of the season, but he said the rain had left extra moisture under the turf.
“I’ve been really monitoring the moisture. The moisture level was nearly 23 per cent last week, I’m going to try and get it down to 18 per cent this week,” he said.
Mr Fouracre said the lines would be drawn on the field on Saturday, with plans to wash away the lines after the game in preparation for the
Rugby Championship on September 25.
He said a football field needed to be fast and hard.
Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper said the games were expected to pump millions into the region.
“This is fantastic for our region,” he said. “We’ve got thousands of people coming to the game, aiming for capacity.”
Tickets are still available at ticketmaster.com.au.