Mayor Ben Shields' idea for the city to host a match in 2021 was given unanimous support from his fellow councillors at Monday night's council meeting.

Council will now look into the cost of hosting the match, including whether government grants are available, and start the negotiations.

At the moment, the cost of bringing the game to Dubbo is unknown, but it's believed Bathurst spent $250,000 per game for their deal with the Penrith Panthers.

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"We are heading into such uncertain economic times over the coming years. We need to look at ways we can attract more visitors and more money into the Dubbo region," Cr Shields said.

For deputy mayor Stephen Lawrence, the football match would not only provide an economic stimulus, but a mental one too.

"To my mind, the really important part of this is giving people some hope going into next year," Cr Lawrence said.

"This is a footy-mad town... I think it's something that would bring a lot of simple pleasure to a lot of people and a lot of hope to people."

Councillor John Ryan said there was an incredible hunger for the NRL match, not just in Dubbo but the broader region.

"There's no way towns like Bourke or Brewarrina or Tullamore or Narromine or Nyngan or Gillgandra would have any chance of getting something like this," he said.

"This is where we need to show some leadership coming out of the COVID-19 crisis and give people a real morale boost.

"Getting some of these players out to the remote towns would be worth an enormous amount."

The councillor said it was difficult to put a figure on the cost of hosting a match, but between sponsorship and support he believed the financial considerations would not be an issue.

Cr Shields said in the last few days he had had "everyone from Group 11 to small businesses in Dubbo" who were willing to support the event.

Group 11 president and NSWRL board member Bob Walsh has already indicated his support.

"The cost has always been prohibitive but now council is more interested and it's a great sign," he said.

"There's a lot of work but it's good to see it's on the mind of the mayor and council."

As well as ensure the city's accommodation was filled and restaurants were busy, the mayor said bringing the NRL to Dubbo would also open the door for other events to consider coming here.

"Our accommodation providers, our hospitality sector, our retailers, and other facilities are top-notch. We can match and do better than any other city in inland NSW," he said

Cr Shields said with the region taking a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent business closures, the coming few years were an important time for the city to be hosting big events.

Council believes about 1450 jobs have already been affected from closures due to COVID-19 and another 700 jobs are expected to be impacted in the knock-on effects.

At the council meeting, Cr Shields also lead the establishment of an Economy Recovery Taskforce to help the city bounce back.