Eels Blogs

Parramatta launch secret bid to open Western Sydney Stadium with opening round clash with St George Illawarra
DAVID RICCIO, CHIEF SPORTS WRITER, The Daily Telegraph
March 10, 2018 7:00pm
Subscriber only
IN 1986, Brett Kenny, Peter Sterling and Ray Price christened their newly-built home of Parramatta Stadium with a thumping win over St George.

34-years later and Parramatta CEO Bernie Gurr has revealed the club’s secret bid to ensure the NRL — and not A-League — officially opens the new Western Sydney Stadium with a historic rematch against the Dragons next year.

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The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that with the new WSS on target to be opened in early April 2019, Gurr has already met with the NRL, who are preparing to commence the design of the 2019 season draw.

“It’s certainly our goal and the NRL is aware of this, that we want rugby league to be the game that opens the stadium,’’ Gurr said.

The Eels have played out of ANZ Stadium for the past year.
“In an ideal world, it would be the first game of next season or it would be our opening home game of next season.

“I enjoy the history of our great game and I do remember the game against St George and Parramatta turned it on.

“There’s a bit of synergy around that, but there’s a lot of water to flow under the bridge.

“Clearly our wish would be to play a traditional opponent on the day. Saints clearly fall under that category and Canterbury and Manly do too.’’

The Eels are merely tenants of the new WSS — as will be, A-League’s Western Sydney Wanderers.

Infrastructure NSW have advised that the WSS is forecast to open in early April, meaning that the Wanderers only opportunity to be the first sporting event played at the 30,000-seat stadium would be in the final two rounds of their regular season, or a potential semi-final.

However, Gurr said Parramatta’s rich history, membership numbers and powerful leagues club which will be housed within the stadium precinct, should be all factored into why the Eels should open the stadium upon its completion.

Steve Sharp scored the first try on the old Parra Stadium.
Gurr added that the Eels would also be willing to play up to as many four away games in the opening month of the season, in order to be the first team that play their first home game at WSS — as opposed to ANZ Stadium.

“The reality is, we’ll be an anchor stadium there. It’s right next to our leagues club, it’s within the Parramatta Eels precinct, so there’s a lot of good synergy and a lot of good storylines there, that it would make sense to dictate that we are the opening game of that stadium,’’ Gurr said.

“Last year we played our first two games away and this year we’re away at Penrith and Manly.

“So we’re sort of in a groove with starting the season with at least a couple of away games.

“So if it meant playing two, three, or four away games just so that we could come home to play our first home game at the new Western Sydney Stadium, we’d be very open to that.

“Without a doubt, it will be the best game day experience in Australia.

“It will be better than Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane) because the slope on the stands is even steeper than Suncorp, so it will be a real colosseum effect.

“The state government have provided this stadium for a sporting entertainment precinct for the people of western Sydney and that’s very exciting for our club, but it’s also exciting for the sporting and entertainment lovers in western Sydney.’’

The NRL said they “always worked with clubs to celebrate the opening of new stadiums.”

“However, it is too early to predict the makeup of round one next year,’’ the NRL spokesman said.