2020 All Stars on the Gold Coast

All Stars returns to where it all began on Gold Coast
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A decade after Preston Campbell's vision first became a reality on the Gold Coast, the Harvey Norman All Stars clash will return to Cbus Super Stadium in 2020.

For the second year running, Indigenous and Maori male and female teams will face off in a double-header on Saturday, February 22.

The inaugural Indigenous All Stars game in 2010 proved to be a wonderful celebration for the game and ARL Indigenous Council chair Katrina Fanning said returning to the Gold Coast was a fitting tribute to the initiative.

“The All Stars concept has grown enormously since the first game in 2010, with an emphasis on celebrating the event alongside players and fans in the week leading up to the games and including representative male and female teams,” Fanning said.

“I’m looking forward to joining fans in February next year on the Gold Coast and I encourage new and existing All Stars supporters to join together in celebrating Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Maori history and heritage.”

Earlier this year AAMI Park in Melbourne played host to the All Stars weekend with the Australian Indigenous All Stars taking on the New Zealand Maori Kiwis for the first time.

That format will be replicated in 2020 with the women's Indigenous and Maori teams kicking off the double-header, followed by the men.

NRL head of football Graham Annesley said the matches would celebrate the remarkable contribution Indigenous and Maori players have made to rugby league.

“Some of the very best players the game has ever seen come from Indigenous and Maori heritage," Annesley said.

"There’s no doubt that both matches will showcase an exciting brand of rugby league. I know it’s an occasion the players really look forward to.

“It’s wonderful to see this event back on the Gold Coast, the original home of the All Stars concept.”

Gold Coast Titans stars Ryan James and Kevin Proctor were joined by Broncos NRLW players Amber Pilley and Rona Peters for the announcement on the Gold Coast on Thursday morning.

The 2020 showpiece comes a decade after the inaugural Indigenous All Stars side featuring Johnathan Thurston, Scott Prince, Wendell Sailor, Sam Thaiday and Campbell beat the NRL All Stars 16-12.

Tickets for the 2020 All Stars double-header will go on sale in December and you can register you interest at www.nrl.com/waitlist.

Benji out but Maori maintain focus on flair for All Stars clash
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Benji Marshall is out of the All Stars but coach David Kidwell said his absence won't stop the New Zealand Maori side from throwing the ball around.

The Maori team lost 34-14 in last year’s match against an Indigenous team who played an enterprising style of football many of the players were familiar with from Koori and Murri knockouts.

Kidwell insists his team will play an expansive brand of football in the annual clash with the Indigenous All Stars at Cbus Super Stadium on February 22.

Last year's clash in Melbourne was the first time the teams had met since the curtain-raiser to the 2008 World Cup opener, which inspired Preston Campbell to lobby for the All Stars concept after Indigenous players in the Australian team expressed disappointment at not being able to represent their culture.

"Maori teams have a great history in rugby league and all the Great Britain sides that have come over and played us [in New Zealand] have always found it tough to play the Maoris," Kidwell said.

"Watching the game last year, and watching the decade of games with the Indigenous team, they play a style of football that is great to watch and makes for an exciting game.

"Our style is similar to the Indigenous team. We play with a lot of flair, we use our skill and we intend to make sure the game is a great spectacle."

Kidwell, who represented Aotearoa Maori at the 2000 World Cup, has taken over the coaching role from NRL Hall of Famer Stacey Jones and he said the style he wanted the team to play would be reflected in the selections.

Few players would have suited an expansive game plan better than Marshall but the soon to be 35-year-old has withdrawn from selection to ensure he starts the season fresh with the Tigers after only recently returning to training following his Test commitments with the Kiwis.

"Benji is unavailable, unfortunately, but I totally understand that as he is a little bit older now," Kidwell said.

"We would have loved to have him in the team but there are some young, exciting halves throughout the NRL with Maori heritage we will look to bring in."

Warriors halves Kodi Nikorima and Chanel Harris-Tavita are likely to share the playmaking duties with Melbourne’s Jahrome Hughes, while Newcastle’s Kalyn Ponga is expected to wear the No.1 jersey after starting last year’s match at five-eighth.

Kidwell is spoilt for choice in the forwards, with the likes of Adam Blair, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich, Kevin Proctor, James Tamou, Tohu Harris, James Fisher Harris, Corey Harawira-Naera and Joseph Tapine among his options.

Melbourne’s Brandon Smith, St George Illawarra recruit Issac Luke and Canterbury’s Jason Marshall-King are hooking options.

Proctor and Tamou played for the Maori in the World Cup curtain-raiser and also in the team that drew 18-18 with England at Mt Smart Stadium before the 2010 Four Nations tournament.

"It has been a decade since Preston had that vision and we encourage all supporters of the game to get there and watch the best of the best of indigenous cultures," Kidwell said.

"It is a great way for indigenous cultures to celebrate their heritage in the NRL. We’d like to see this being a game that happens every year for at least another decade."

I'm hoping for a good crowd and good footy. Especially by our representatives.

I think a strong crowd would help get our attendances off to a good start. A less than healthy one would immediate draw eyes to our crowds and the health of the game on the Coast etc etc.

All Stars kicks off. Looks like a great crowd. Passionate pregame challenges.