With a carnival atmosphere and a packed stadium, why wouldn’t Magic Round come back to Wagga? Photo: Josef Winkler.
Over 15,000 people flocked to Geohex Park over the weekend for NRLW Magic Round – with all 12 of the competition’s teams playing at the same location.
Six games were played across the two days, with spectators travelling from across the country – and the ditch – to see their favourite teams play in the historic round.
Magic Round kicked off on Saturday morning with the West Tigers rallying for a second-half flurry to win by 12 points over the Cronulla Sharks. The Sydney Roosters and St George Dragons followed, with the Roosters putting up the biggest score of the weekend to win 38-18.
The Canberra Raiders and the North Queensland Cowboys closed out Saturday with the match of the round, with the Cowboys coming home by just 2 points for their first win of the season.
Sunday morning saw festivities continue with the Brisbane Broncos and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. The Broncos showcased why they are the reigning premiers and ladder leaders with a dominant 34-4 win before the New Zealand Warriors and the Gold Coast Titans played out a classic.
The Titans just edged out the Warriors to win 18-16 after leading 12-0 at halftime.
The final match of the round between the Parramatta Eels and the Newcastle Knights saw the Riverina’s own Rachael Pearson take the field for the Eels. Despite the warm reception from home fans, it was the Knights who claimed a 20-point, 32-12 victory.
Spectator Ashlee Jones said the weekend was one of the best sporting events she’s experienced in Wagga and that she loved that the crowd got behind the women’s competition.
“It was incredible seeing so many people here. It’s not every day you get the opportunity to watch sport like this without travelling,” she said.
“My family came to watch the Warriors. Normally to watch a New Zealand team you’d have to travel. Although they didn’t win, we felt quite lucky to see them play.
“I’d love to see Magic Round come back to Wagga. I think we showed this weekend that we really do support Magic Round and want to make it our own.”
Wagga Wagga mayor Dallas Tout said expectations for Magic Round were well and truly exceeded, with local businesses benefiting from the influx of people.
“Just over 15,000 people attended over two days, so that was an amazing number of people. We had expectations, but it exceeded them,” Mr Tout said.
“Based on those numbers, we estimate between $3 million and $5 million injected into the city. Around the city, businesses kept commenting on how busy they were and how much it added to the weekend.
“People came from everywhere to watch, and they really loved it. I got feedback from people that a number of them didn’t get to see enough of Wagga and the region while they were here, so they’re planning to make some return trips.
“It was a win-win-win for everyone. It was fantastic.”
