THE year is 2015.
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TONY Abbott is prime minister (but won't be for long), Mike Baird is premier and it's the second year of Bathurst Regional Council's deal with the Penrith Panthers to bring an NRL game a year to town.
After the euphoria of year one, when 8800 people watched the Cronulla Sharks beat the Panthers in a thriller, Bathurst has been given the much more underwhelming Gold Coast Titans - the newest side in the competition.
The game is played in mid-March, late afternoon. A small crowd of just over 6200 turns up to see the Titans pumped 40-0 in bright sunshine.
Walking out of the ground that day, more than one person must have wondered about the long-term future of the Panthers' deal with Bathurst.
Fast forward to 2019, however, and there is no doubt this city has truly made the big league.
Though no-one would have known it at the time, the Titans game represented the low point of the deal.
The crowds were bigger for the Canberra Raiders in 2016 and 2017 and the North Queensland Cowboys - featuring future Immortal Johnathan Thurston - drew a record turnout when they played last year.
Getting the Storm this year - perennial finalists, regular grand finalists - proves the esteem in which the Bathurst game is held.
Cities such as Tamworth and Mudgee have since secured their own NRL games, but Bathurst can say that it was there first.
We can't wait to see who runs out on to Carrington Park next year.
