Dubbo’s Apex Oval and Mudgee’s Glen Willow Stadium will play host to NRL matches in 2021, with confirmation of their matches announced during the release of the official draw today.
On Saturday, April 17, Manly will host the Gold Coast Titans at Mudgee while on Sunday, May 23, Souths will do battle with a Penrith side that features the likes of Dubbo’s Isaah Yeo and Matt Burton, and Brent Naden from Wellington.
Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders, who is chair of the NRL Regional Taskforce, said the announcement of the games is a massive win for the region.
“The taskforce has been working hard to ensure top-flight footy comes back to the bush, and I’m proud that of the six regional games that will be played in 2021, two of them will be in the Dubbo electorate.
“It made sense for the taskforce to work with Souths and the NRL to target Penrith as its opponent for the Dubbo game, and I’m really pleased those negotiations have come to fruition,” Mr Saunders said.
“Penrith has an established presence within the Western Rams area, and with the likes of Isaah Yeo, Matt Burton and Brent Naden having their roots in Dubbo and Wellington it was a no-brainer.
“As fate would have it we will now have a rematch of this year’s Grand Final qualifier being played in Dubbo next year, which should also ensure it’s of top quality, and I would like to thank the clubs for agreeing to be involved.”
Mr Saunders will join with Mid Western Regional Council mayor Des Kennedy and Manly chief executive Stephen Humphries on Friday to discuss further details of the Mudgee match, which will be played a few weeks after the annual Charity Shield contest between Souths and St George-Illawarra at Glen Willow.
Great work Dugald. A lot of South’s and Penrith supporters will be very pleased.