Cowboys to play Top End NRL match in 2012

[DIEHARD]

Cowboys to play Top End NRL match in 2012

The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys will play an NRL premiership match in the Northern Territory for the first time in 2012.

The Sydney Roosters have agreed to switch their allocated home game against the Cowboys to TIO Stadium in Darwin, which will host the match on the night of Saturday 5 May.

It replaces the annual pre-season trial match the Cowboys have played in the Northern Territory for the past two years.

North Queensland played the Brisbane Broncos in Alice Springs this year, which followed a match-up against the Gold Coast Titans at Richardson Park in Darwin in 2010.

The clash against the Roosters will be the first NRL regular season match to be played in the Top End since Penrith and Balmain met at Richardson Park in 1991.

Cowboys CEO Peter Jourdain said the club was very pleased to be involved in taking NRL football to the Northern Territory.

?There is a very strong rugby league following in the Northern Territory and I know our players will look forward to playing a match for premiership points in Darwin,? he said.

?As well as playing the game, we will undertake a number of community initiatives leading up to it, through the assistance provided by the Northern Territory Government.?

Territory rugby league fans have traditionally supported top level matches in Darwin, with more than 10,000 fans watching Penrith and Newcastle in a 2007 practice game at Richardson Park.

TIO Stadium, formerly known as Marrara Stadium, has hosted a number of AFL regular season and pre-season matches in recent years.

It has a capacity of around 15,000, including 5,000 seats.

As the match is a Sydney Roosters home game, Dairy Farmers Stadium will still host its usual 12 NRL matches in 2012.

http://www.cowboys.com.au/

[DIEHARD]

Awesome to see Premiership NRL up in NT.

Rugby League is very popular and grows by the year.

Id love to see them have a Queensland Cup side.

[SunnyCoastTitanFan]

So will this be the first 1st grade match in Darwin?

Just imagine in the future having teams in all states of Australia, another team in NZ and 1 in PNG. That'd be alright in theory.