Newcastle could regularly host a women's State of Origin match under a bold pitch by lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes and her Townsville counterpart to the NRL.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
After a record 18,275 attended the second women's Origin in Townsville on Thursday night, Nelmes and Jenny Hill on Friday called for the NRL to give their towns a "permanent share" of the representative fixtures.
"Townsville has proven to be the sporting and events capital of the north and we will now take the fight together with the people of Newcastle to secure permanent women's Origin matches," Hill said in a statement.
Newcastle appears a logical destination for a game in coming years and the series is expected to expand from two to three fixtures.
The mayors have written to Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V'landys stating their case.
"Novocastrians would strongly welcome State of Origin, which would serve to boost our visitor economy ... while continuing to highlight our city as an amazing tourist destination," Nelmes said.
The Newcastle Knights won the NRLW premiership in 2022 and other elite women's sports matches have been well attended in the city, including the Australian football, basketball and netball sides.
MORE IN SPORT:
- Jets veteran Jason Hoffman re-signs, waiting to learn new coach
- Knights ironman Tyson Frizell expected to back up against Panthers
- Greater Hunter Coast get additional team in NSW Women's Premier Cricket
- Olympic boss Joel Griffiths outed five games for terrorist slur
- Nikolai Topor-Stanley signs with Lambton Jaffas in NPL
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Join the discussion in the comment section below.
Find out how to register or become a subscriber here.
