After the success of Saturday’s NRL game between the Penrith Panthers and Cronulla Sharks, it could be time for council to start thinking about building a stadium, Bathurst mayor Gary Rush said yesterday.
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The event is being hailed as a great success after close to 9000 people poured into Carrington Park to see a closely fought match.
Cronulla ended up defeating the Panthers in a gripping 18-16 finish.
Despite rain falling at intervals throughout the day, an official 8824 people turned out to cheer on their favourite team.
Cr Rush said the game marked a great start to a long-term partnership between Bathurst Regional Council and the Panthers.
Council has signed a five-year contract with the club to bring one NRL match to Bathurst each year.
Cr Rush said it is possible that arrangement could be extended.
“And if it is longer, that makes you think about whether Carrington Park should become a stadium,” he said.
He said a stadium would also attract events such as concerts.
“We need to ensure our facilities are as good as they can be,” Cr Rush said.
The mayor said he enjoyed Saturday’s match and the atmosphere.
“However, with rain on Friday, Saturday morning and again at 1pm, the ground was a bit heavy underfoot,” he said.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said he hopes similar weather next year won’t leave the playing surface in the same sort of condition.
“I had a chat to someone about the possibility of some upgrades to the facility; the first one to look at was the field. It probably wasn’t ideal today,” he said.
“But in terms of our preparation and the time we spent out here, I wouldn’t have changed anything and won’t be doing much different next year.”
Cleary reaffirmed the importance of supporting rugby league in country areas, saying “everyone’s turned out and supp-orted the event”.
Cronulla captain Wade Graham praised the initiative during the after-match press conference.
“From out on the field, you couldn’t see a patch of grass around the ground because of all the people,” he said.
“The Bathurst community has got to be congratulated for the way they supported it. It was like winding the clock back to under 16s or 17s. It takes you back to playing footy as a kid to run out through the tunnel onto that ground.’’
Cr Rush said one of the changes council will look at next year is a way of packaging tickets to make it easier to attend all events, including game-related functions and activities.
