PETER Mata'utia has laid down the early challenge to fellow high-profile recruit David Fifita ahead of next year's inaugural Magic Round, hoping to continue a winning streak from their time playing overseas.
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Lakes and The Entrance (12pm) will kick off the Newcastle Rugby League season on Saturday, April 13, the first of five straight top-grade matches at No.2 Sportsground.
Wyong and Kurri Kurri follow (1.45pm), Northern Hawks tackle two-time defending premiers Maitland (3.30pm), Macquarie meet Cessnock (5.15pm) while Wests and Central finish proceedings (7pm). Souths have the bye.
"I've played him 12 times and I'm 12-0 so hopefully round one I can add another one to it," Mata'utia said.
The dynamic duo find themselves in the Newcastle RL ranks fresh from English Super League stints - Mata'utia playing 115 games across three clubs (Leigh, Castleford, Warrington) between 2018 and 2023 while Fifita has now made 153 appearances after answering a mid-season call to rejoin Wakefield Trinity this year.
Fifita embraced the "showcase" event for a top-quality competition, recently bolstered by the likes of Will Smith, Nathan Ross (Wests), Blake Austin (Entrance) and Blake Ferguson (Kurri).
"Hopefully it [Magic Round] is the exact same as we had over there [England]," Fifita said.
"It was a great atmosphere and brought the whole community together, similar to like a Koori Knockout.
"I'm pretty sure Newcastle has got the best A-grade system in the nation so hopefully we can drag a lot of people here to watch."
Another feature of the upcoming Newcastle RL calendar will be three fixtures on Anzac Day hosted by Central, Cessnock and Souths.
Sleapy's Day will stand alone at Townson Oval on August 10. The grand final is scheduled for Sunday, September 22.
Josh Callinan
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
