The National Rugby League's Magic Round is a weekend in which all fixtures are played at one venue in Australia. The concept is derived from Super League's Magic Weekend.[1] The first Magic Round, in 2019, was held at Brisbane's Lang Park, in the ninth round of the season, from 9 to 12 May. The Government of Queensland paid approximately $2.1 million per year for the event to be held in the city in 2019 and 2020.[2]
History edit
England's Super League first held its Magic Weekend in Cardiff, Wales, in 2007, in part as a bid to promote rugby league there.[3] The event has been repeated on an annual basis, staged also in Edinburgh, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne and Liverpool. The second-tier Championship followed in 2015 with the Summer Bash, a full round of fixtures that in that year and each subsequent year have been played in Blackpool.
The NRL first announced a Magic Round in 2018, for the 2019 season. It selected Brisbane as the host for 2019 and 2021, with the NRL having the option to continue to hold the event there in 2022 and 2023. The hosting arrangements included an investment from the Government of Queensland.[4] The NRL declared the 2019 event, held from 9 to 12 May, to be a success; the total attendance for the weekend was 134,677.[5]
The second Magic Round was scheduled to be held in May 2020, but was cancelled due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which affected the 2020 NRL season.[6]
After the success of the second Magic Round in 2021, it was announced that the event would be returning to Brisbane in 2022.[7]
2019: Brisbane edit
| Team | Score | Team | Date and Time | Attendance | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gold Coast Titans
|
18–26 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
|
Thursday 9 May 19:50 |
17,113 | Nine Network Fox League |
 Wests Tigers
|
30–4 |  Penrith Panthers
|
Friday 10 May 18:00 |
41,388 | Fox League |
 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
|
10–26 |  Brisbane Broncos
|
Friday 10 May 20:05 |
Nine Network Fox League | |
 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
|
10–22 |  Newcastle Knights
|
Saturday 11 May 15:00 |
41,612 | Fox League |
 New Zealand Warriors
|
26–18 |  St. George Illawarra Dragons
|
Saturday 11 May 17:30 |
Fox League | |
 Melbourne Storm
|
64–10 |  Parramatta Eels
|
Saturday 11 May 19:35 |
Fox League | |
 Sydney Roosters
|
30–24 |  Canberra Raiders
|
Sunday 12 May 14:00 |
34,564 | Fox League |
 South Sydney Rabbitohs
|
32–16 |  North Queensland Cowboys
|
Sunday 12 May 16:05 |
Nine Network Fox League |
2021: Brisbane edit
| Team | Score | Team | Date and Time | Attendance | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wests Tigers
|
36–18 | Newcastle Knights
|
Friday 14 May 18:00 |
41,367 | Fox League |
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
|
50–6 | Brisbane Broncos
|
Friday 14 May 20:05 |
Nine Network Fox League | |
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
|
18–20 | Canberra Raiders
|
Saturday 15 May 15:00 |
45,115 | Fox League |
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
|
22–32 | South Sydney Rabbitohs
|
Saturday 15 May 17:30 |
Fox League | |
| Sydney Roosters
|
30–16 | North Queensland Cowboys
|
Saturday 15 May 19:45 |
Nine Network Fox League | |
| New Zealand Warriors
|
18–34 | Parramatta Eels
|
Sunday 16 May 13:50 |
43,537 | Fox League |
| Melbourne Storm
|
44–18 | St. George Illawarra Dragons
|
Sunday 16 May 16:05 |
Nine Network Fox League | |
| Gold Coast Titans
|
12–48 | Penrith Panthers
|
Sunday 16 May 18:25 |
Fox League |
2022: Brisbane edit
| Team | Score | Team | Date and Time | Attendance | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
|
6 – 16 | Newcastle Knights
|
Friday 13 May 18:00 |
40,267 | Fox League |
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
|
0 – 38 | Brisbane Broncos
|
Friday 13 May 20:05 |
Nine Network Fox League | |
| New Zealand Warriors
|
30 – 32 | South Sydney Rabbitohs
|
Saturday 14 May 15:00 |
46,454 | Fox League |
| Gold Coast Titans
|
20 – 16 | St. George Illawarra Dragons
|
Saturday 14 May 17:30 |
Fox League | |
| Melbourne Storm
|
6 – 32 | Penrith Panthers
|
Saturday 14 May 19:45 |
Nine Network Fox League | |
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
|
10 – 30 | Canberra Raiders
|
Sunday 15 May 13:50 |
43,401 | Fox League |
| Sydney Roosters
|
31 – 24 | Parramatta Eels
|
Sunday 15 May 16:05 |
Nine Network Fox League | |
| Wests Tigers
|
12 – 36 | North Queensland Cowboys
|
Sunday 15 May 18:25 |
Fox League |
2023: Brisbane edit
| Team | Score | Team | Date and Time | Attendance | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
|
30 – 34 | Canberra Raiders
|
Friday 5 May 18:00 |
50,077 | Fox League |
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
|
6 – 32 | Brisbane Broncos
|
Friday 5 May 20:05 |
Nine Network Fox League | |
| New Zealand Warriors
|
6 – 18 | Penrith Panthers
|
Saturday 6 May 15:00 |
50,183 | Fox League |
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
|
16 – 36 |  Dolphins
|
Saturday 6 May 17:30 |
Fox League | |
| Melbourne Storm
|
12 – 28 | South Sydney Rabbitohs
|
Saturday 6 May 19:45 |
Nine Network Fox League | |
| Wests Tigers
|
18 – 16 | St. George Illawarra Dragons
|
Sunday 7 May 13:50 |
46,845 | Fox League |
| Sydney Roosters
|
6 – 20 | North Queensland Cowboys
|
Sunday 7 May 16:05 |
Nine Network Fox League | |
| Gold Coast Titans
|
26 – 24 | Parramatta Eels
|
Sunday 7 May 18:25 |
Fox League |
Bye: Newcastle Knights
2024: Brisbane edit
| Team | Score | Team | Date and Time | Attendance | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canberra Raiders
|
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
|
Friday 17 May 18:00 |
Fox League | ||
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
|
Brisbane Broncos
|
Friday 17 May 20:05 |
Nine Network Fox League | ||
| Gold Coast Titans
|
Newcastle Knights
|
Saturday 18 May 15:00 |
Fox League | ||
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
|
Sydney Roosters
|
Saturday 18 May 17:30 |
Fox League | ||
| South Sydney Rabbitohs
|
North Queensland Cowboys
|
Saturday 18 May 19:45 |
Nine Network Fox League | ||
| New Zealand Warriors
|
Penrith Panthers
|
Sunday 19 May 13:50 |
Fox League | ||
| Melbourne Storm
|
Parramatta Eels
|
Sunday 19 May 16:05 |
Nine Network Fox League | ||
| Wests Tigers
|
Dolphins
|
Sunday 19 May 18:25 |
Fox League |
Yearly Attendances edit
| Year | City | Stadium | Days | Total Attendance | Average Daily Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Brisbane | Suncorp Stadium | 4 | 134,677 | 33,669 |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | ||||
| 2021 | 3 |  130,019
|
 43,340
| ||
| 2022 | 3 | 130,122
|
43,374
| ||
| 2023 | 3 | 147,105
|
49,035
| ||
| 2024 | 3 | ||||
See also edit
- Gather Round, the equivalent event in the Australian Football League since 2023
References edit
- ^ Proszenko, Adrian (9 May 2019). "NSW keen to poach Magic Round from Queensland". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
- ^ Polkinghorne, David (10 May 2019). "New Civic Stadium would enhance Canberra's Magic Round chances". Canberra Times. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
- ^ Shea, Julian (1 May 2007). "Rugby league looks to new horizon". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ Webster, Andrew (8 May 2019). "From Bris Vegas to Las Vegas: the NRL's bold ambitions for Magic Round". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ Lutton, Phil (12 May 2019). "Magic Round tricks every box as crowds respond to Brisbane event". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ "NRL cancels Magic Round Brisbane 2020". NRL.com. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ Layt, Stuart (16 May 2007). "NRL Magic Round to stay in Brisbane in 2022 but after that it's anyone's game". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
External links edit
- https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/06/17/nrl-brisbane-magic-round-to-be-staged-in-2019-at-suncorp-stadium/
- https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/10/25/sunday-derbies-magic-weekend-headline-2019-draw/
- https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/04/01/magic-acts-for-nrl-magic-round-brisbane/
- https://www.nrl.com/travel/magic-round/
- https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-to-stage-magic-round-in-2019/news-story/ff125411f0a80e100cd6cfc4143b4867
- https://suncorpstadium.com.au/The-Venue/Latest-News/NRL-Brisbane-Magic-Round.aspx