Berkeley_Eagle
Current Status: 24/7 Manly Fan
Sea Eagles keen to play Coast NRL match in 2009
29 February 2008
| By Paul Munnings
http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/feb/2...nrl-match-2009/
An official NRL game for premiership points played on the Sunshine Coast is becoming close to reality.
Stockland Park and the Manly Sea Eagles are closing in on signing an agreement that would see one of the home games of last season’s NRL runners-up being staged at the Kawana venue late in the 2009 season.
The Sea Eagles will play their second pre-season trial in as many years on the Coast tonight when they play the NZ Warriors, who are making their first visit.
Manly is keen to host one of the Queensland-based NRL teams at Stockland next season, but there is one key proviso – the new stadium must be completed and receive the okay from the NRL.
Stockland Park general manager Roger Desailly yesterday stopped fractionally short of guaranteeing work on the long-awaited stadium would begin sometime this football season, but is confident the venue will become the NRL’s newest ground in 2009.
“I’m as certain as you can be about anything in life,†Desailly said when asked if work on the stadium would begin this year.
“We’re just waiting on one piece of documentation to come through from the federal government and then work will begin.
“Having Manly play an official game here is not that far away.
“We’ve had them here for trials for the past two seasons, we have the agreement with Manly and the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles and a game in the premiership is the next step.
“I’m confident we’d get an 18,000 sellout, especially if it was against a Queensland team.â€Â
Officials are hopeful that tonight’s crowd will come close to matching the 8196 who turned out to watch Manly and the Melbourne Storm last year.
29 February 2008
| By Paul Munnings
http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/feb/2...nrl-match-2009/
An official NRL game for premiership points played on the Sunshine Coast is becoming close to reality.
Stockland Park and the Manly Sea Eagles are closing in on signing an agreement that would see one of the home games of last season’s NRL runners-up being staged at the Kawana venue late in the 2009 season.
The Sea Eagles will play their second pre-season trial in as many years on the Coast tonight when they play the NZ Warriors, who are making their first visit.
Manly is keen to host one of the Queensland-based NRL teams at Stockland next season, but there is one key proviso – the new stadium must be completed and receive the okay from the NRL.
Stockland Park general manager Roger Desailly yesterday stopped fractionally short of guaranteeing work on the long-awaited stadium would begin sometime this football season, but is confident the venue will become the NRL’s newest ground in 2009.
“I’m as certain as you can be about anything in life,†Desailly said when asked if work on the stadium would begin this year.
“We’re just waiting on one piece of documentation to come through from the federal government and then work will begin.
“Having Manly play an official game here is not that far away.
“We’ve had them here for trials for the past two seasons, we have the agreement with Manly and the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles and a game in the premiership is the next step.
“I’m confident we’d get an 18,000 sellout, especially if it was against a Queensland team.â€Â
Officials are hopeful that tonight’s crowd will come close to matching the 8196 who turned out to watch Manly and the Melbourne Storm last year.
