“Where else would you have it?”, former NRL referee and now Queensland sport minister Tim Mander said on Thursday at the launch of Magic Round, rugby league’s annual expo. It was a rhetorical question, but it did – for a moment at least – let the imagination wander.
Perth could work, given WA premier Roger Cook’s preference for rugby league and the imminent arrival of the Bears. Elsewhere, Adelaide Oval’s proximity to the CBD is kick-on heaven, just ask AFL fans. Melbourne and of course Sydney can put on a show. Or could the NRL try the Gold Coast, Townsville, Newcastle, even New Zealand?
