FUTURE rugby league Immortal Cameron Smith is expected to lead beaten 2018 grand finalists Melbourne Storm when they play the Penrith Panthers at Bathurst’s Carrington Park next year.
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The release of the 2019 NRL draw on Thursday confirmed the Panthers would meet the Storm in Bathurst on Saturday, March 30, with a 7.35pm kick-off.
Barring injury or suspension, the Storm will be captained by former Australia and Queensland skipper Cameron Smith, one of the greatest players of the modern era.
The Bathurst match will also be a homecoming of sorts for Storm coach Craig Bellamy who was raised in Portland before later playing senior rugby league in Oberon.
Smith was at the helm during a golden age for the Storm and Queensland, playing 384 NRL matches, 42 State of Origins and 56 Test matches.
He is on track to become the first player to play 400 NRL matches some time in 2019.
Next year’s Round 3 match will be the second year running that Bathurst has hosted the previous season’s beaten grand finalist, and also the second year running that a future Immortal has graced the field at Carrington.
In 2018, the Panthers went down 26-20 to a Johnathan Thurston-led North Queensland Cowboys before a record crowd of more than 10,000 at Carrington Park in May.
Promoters hope Smith’s appearance will again boost the crowd figure beyond the 10,000 mark, though the only other early-season clash played in Bathurst as part of the Panthers’ long-term deal with Bathurst Regional Council – a 2015 match against the Gold Coast Titans in Round 2 – drew just 6400 fans to Carrington Park.
The release of the 2019 draw also confirmed that the St George Dragons would play the Newcastle Knights at Mudgee’s Glen Willow Regional Sporting Complex on Sunday, May 19.
