A few years into the deal, it was reported it costs ratepayers around $300,000 a year for the right to host each match.

However, for the town of Bathurst, the benefits, in terms of promotion of the city and tourism dollars have been substantial.

And everyone has clearly seen the benefits, because in 2017 the deal was extended for another 10 years until 2028.

And that's why an NRL match here in Dubbo would be worth what it costs to ratepayers here as well.

Coming off the back of a terrible drought when our economy was already down, and then hitting the coronavirus just when things looked like they would pick up again, we need something to really lift the economy for us again.

Other regional centres have seen the benefits too - over in Mudgee the Mid-Western Regional Council had a deal with St George Illawarra Dragons to play games in Mudgee.

The NRL teams are also getting back to the bush, with games played in Tamworth, Gosford, Toowoomba and Cairns on the calendars over the past few seasons.

They've all shown that there are benefits to hosting an NRL game.

We've seen the benefits here in Dubbo in the past as well with City v Country games held at Apex and other major events.

We have a state-of-the art stadium right here in Dubbo, and the economic benefits a match would bring to the town are too many to mention.

With other regional towns hosting matches on an annual basis, and the mayor saying Dubbo can 'match and do better than any other city in inland NSW' we are looking forward to seeing what council come up with to bring an NRL match to our city.

We look forward to hearing about the next step.

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