Melbourne gunning to host Test Match

[DIEHARD]

League Test on cards

MELBOURNE is on the verge of landing a sporting coup with next year's rugby league Test between Australia and New Zealand set to be played at the new rectangular stadium.

The Australian Rugby League confirmed it was deep in discussions with the Victorian Major Events Company to stage the match there in May.

It would be just the third time the teams have played in Melbourne in more than 90 years and only the fourth rugby league Test staged in the city.

An official announcement is not expected until later this year, but ARL chief executive Geoff Carr said everyone involved wanted to make it happen.

"We haven't signed off with either party but we certainly have a willingness to do it and we are very keen," Carr said yesterday.

"It won't be the first event at the new stadium but it will be the official opening.

"It needs to be opened with some sort of priority game and that's why we are talking about a Test match.

"The arrangement is yet to be finalised . . . but we're not far away."

The match would be one of three, including an Australia-England Test in November next year and a State-of-Origin match in 2012, that the ARL wants to stage in Melbourne.

"The Victorian public have been very supportive and with the Melbourne Storm we want to keep the profile of rugby league strong," Carr said.

"It's certainly an area we want to keep playing marquee games in."

More than 36,000 people attended the World Cup clash between Australia and England at Docklands in November, while 54,833 watched the Origin decider there in 2006.

The new Swan St stadium, which will hold 31,000 people, is on schedule for completion in December. Storm is due to play the first match there in March 2010.

Source: http://www.news.com.au

[DIEHARD]

How amazing would a Test at the new stadium be?!

It would sell out very fast and show off rugby league in the best way Victoria has ever seen it before!

[Sydney Titans Fanatic]

yer it will be great to see a game in melbourne....
Im sick of sydney thinking they own the nrl world and they can host all the tests plus sydney charge like 50 million dollars for a ticket