Dubbo MP and NRL Regional Taskforce chairman Dugald Saunders admitted he was slightly disappointed by the crowd at Mudgee on Saturday but has high hopes for next month's blockbuster clash at Apex Oval.
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Just over 6000 people were at Glen Willow Stadium in Mudgee to see the Manly Sea Eagles score a convincing 36-0 win over the Gold Coast Titans in Saturday's NRL round six contest.
The match was one of three to be played in the western region in the space of six weeks, with Bathurst's Carrington Park hosting the Penrith Panthers and Manly on May 1 before the Panthers return to take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Dubbo on May 23.
"There will definitely be more in Dubbo," Saunders said of the crowd at Mudgee.
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"The Mudgee game, I was expecting eight or nine thousand. I think the fact Manly has a game in Bathurst in a couple of weeks against the Panthers detracted a little from that but there was plenty of Manly fans who travelled.
"I was there for the captain's run on Friday afternoon and the faithful fans were there and seeing Tom Trbojevic in action for the mighty Sea Eagles was great and a really positive result for them.
"I think the Mudgee-Manly deal works really well and I'm hoping that will continue in coming years."
There's been a huge amount of interest in the match at Dubbo, with the initial six thousand tickets on offer being sold out in rapid time last month.
Hopefully we'll be getting around that 10,000 mark.
- Dugald Saunders
Given the proud history of the Rabbitohs and the Panthers' strong connection with the western area - Dubbo junior Isaah Yeo is the side's co-captain this season - as well as the sides' strong results so far this season the round 11 match at Apex Oval was always going to be a hugely popular one.
Despite restrictions easing across the country, being in line with all COVID regulations continues to make hosting events a challenge and more planning is needed before extra tickets can go on sale for the match.
Saunders is hopeful it will come to fruition in the coming weeks.
"Hopefully we'll be getting around that 10,000 mark," he said.
"There are applications at the moment for exemptions to get to that and maybe above 10,000 and we'll see how that goes in the next couple of weeks."
Even if the crowd doesn't crack the 10,000 mark, the match is expected to have a major impact on Dubbo's local economy.
"It's really significant," Saunders said of NRL games in the bush.
"When you talk about economic injections to regional communities that's why these games are so important.
"Probably the figure of economic drive is between $1 and $2 million somewhere for the whole weekend."
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