THE South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Parramatta Eels will be host clubs in a spectacular all-Sydney NRL Double-Header at Stadium Australia in Round 3 next season.
In an exciting initiative for footy fans, the NRL today announced that Rabbitohs v Sea Eagles and Eels v Sharks will go back-to-back at Sydney’s home of major events on Saturday 24 March.
The all-Sydney blockbusters will coincide with opening weekend at the 2018 Sydney Royal Easter Show – ensuring a large crowd and a festive atmosphere at Sydney Olympic Park. Return transport to and from Olympic Park will be included in all match-day tickets and memberships.
The NRL Round 3 Double-Header will be included in the 2018 Stadium Australia Membership package – as will the pre-season International Double-Header on Saturday 17 February, when the St George Illawarra Dragons host Hull FC and South Sydney Rabbitohs host English champions Wigan Warriors. Membership enquiries here.
Or why not watch the NRL Double-Header in style? Choose between a Private Suite, Zone Box or Centreline Seats to entertain your important clients. Enquiries here.
The NRL Double-Header will precede the traditional EasterFest NRL matches on Good Friday 30 March and Easter Monday 2 April – traditional matches that consistently produce two of Sydney’s biggest NRL crowds of the season.
The NRL announced today that an unprecedented four double headers will be staged across four major cities in Australia and New Zealand as part of the 2018 NRL Telstra Premiership.
It will be the first time in the history of the NRL four double-headers have been a part of the schedule and it will be the first regular-season double-header at Stadium Australia since 2008.
The confirmed NRL double-headers are:
- The new 60,000-seat Perth Stadium will host the first of the double-headers on opening weekend, with South Sydney Rabbitohs v New Zealand Warriors and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs v Melbourne Storm on Saturday 10 March;
- South Sydney Rabbitohs v Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and Parramatta Eels v Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks at Stadium Australia in Round 3 on Saturday, March 24;
- Wests Tigers v Melbourne Storm and Warriors v North Queensland Cowboys at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium in Round 5 on Saturday, April 7;
- Melbourne Storm v Gold Coast Titans and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles v Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in Round 10 on Saturday, May 12.
The Perth double header will feature the first match as defending premiers for Melbourne Storm, while the Auckland double header will feature both grand finalists, Melbourne Storm and North Queensland Cowboys.
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said the double-headers would create an exciting element of next season’s schedule.
“We will have double headers in four major cities – three in Australia and one in New Zealand,” Mr Greenberg said.
“This is a huge step for the game and I’d like to thank the clubs involved for their efforts to embrace the concept and ensure the matches eventuated.
“This is also a direct result of us having more control over the Premiership schedule in 2018.
“We have had significant success with double headers at Suncorp Stadium in recent seasons and this is a natural progression.
“It will create more blockbuster events for our fans in 2018.”
All four double-headers will be broadcast exclusively on FOX LEAGUE, on Foxtel.
