Manly Warringah Sea Eagles will play the Brisbane Broncos in a 'home' match at Suncorp Stadium in 2019 as part of the NRL Brisbane Magic Round.
NRL Brisbane Magic Round will be played over the course of Friday night, Saturday and Sunday (May 10-12),as part of Round 9 in partnership with the Queensland Government (through Tourism and Events Queensland) and Brisbane City Council (through Brisbane Marketing).
The Sea Eagles versus Broncos match will be played on Friday, May 10, at 7.50pm, giving the Manly Club and its major partners tremendous free to air exposure as the main Channel Nine match of the night.
Manly are once again proud to play the Broncos in a home game in Brisbane just as the Club has done for the past three years as part of the very successful Brisbane Double Header concept. This year, the Sea Eagles recorded a strong win over the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.
With two matches scheduled for Friday night, three for Saturday and three for Sunday, all at Suncorp Stadium, NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said NRL Brisbane Magic Round would be a first for the NRL.
"This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our game and create a festival-like occasion for a Premiership Round," Mr Greenberg said.
"We have seen the success of our double headers in recent seasons but this takes the concept to another level.
"There are enormous benefits to a full Round in the one location.
"Obviously, there will be significant exposure for such a unique round and it will be a wonderful promotion for all our Clubs.
"We're extremely grateful for the support of the Clubs, the Queensland Government, Brisbane City Council, Suncorp Stadium, and our broadcast partners Nine and Fox Sports who have provided unwavering support to ensure this initiative became a reality.
"We'd expect the people of Brisbane to support the festival nature of what will be a wonderful spectacle for Rugby League and their city.
"We're also extremely confident fans from across the country will attend, with great entertainment planned around Suncorp Stadium as well as the city of Brisbane and Queensland in general."
Clubs will undertake community engagement initiatives in the lead-up to NRL Brisbane Magic Round, including school programs, junior development and participation programs, coaching and training development and other community activities.
Mr Greenberg said NRL Brisbane Magic Round was one of a number of new initiatives planned for the 2019 Telstra Premiership.
He added the ongoing support of the Palaszczuk Queensland Government as well as Brisbane City Council was significant.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the 2019 Magic Round would have enormous economic benefits for Queensland.
"Magic Round will give Rugby League fans the opportunity to witness the most exciting weekend of footy in 2019 in Brisbane, while giving the public the chance to get up close to their sporting heroes," Ms Palaszczuk said.
"I expect Magic Round to be the marquee event for the 2019 draw."
Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said that Brisbane was chosen to host the inaugural Magic Round once again demonstrated the city's reputation for staging major events.
"Major events support our local economy and create jobs right across Brisbane with their economic impact expected to rise to a record $165 million this financial year," he said.
"Brisbane will be in the sporting spotlight once again when all 16 NRL teams play a round in the one venue and is set to attract thousands of visitors to fill our hotel rooms and boost our local economy."
The full schedule for NRL Brisbane Magic Round will be announced through the release of the 2019 NRL Telstra Premiership draw later this year.
Fans are encouraged to register their interest in NRL Brisbane Magic Round at www.nrl.com/waitlist
