The New Zealand Warriors' time in Tamworth has come to an end but the country music capital won't go long without a NRL team in town with the Wests Tigers touching down this Sunday.
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The Tigers will become the third NRL team to visit the city this year after the Warriors spent a month at Wests Entertainment Group's (WEG) Scully Park precinct while the Newcastle Knights ran clinics at Farrer a fortnight ago.
It was something Wests Entertainment Group CEO Rod Laing said was a coup for the whole community.
"It's great for us, it's great for business and it's great for Tamworth to have just hosted the Warriors for a month. The Newcastle Knights were at Farrer's great facility and next the Tigers will be here," Laing said
The Tigers had planned to touch down in Tamworth sooner but rescheduled their stay as the Warriors had already booked out accommodation at the Mercure throughout January, Laing said.
And the Tigers weren't the only club keen to utilise the facilities at the Scully Park precinct.
"Knocking on our door is the A League," Laing said.
Laing said WEG had to knock back the chance to host two A-League games at Scully Park.
"The Newcastle Jets have been in discussions with us for quite a while and the opportunity arose [to host A-League games] but with the commitment to the Warriors and the Tigers, we weren't able to accommodate another code coming in," he said.
The Warriors left for Terrigal on Tuesday morning which ended a month-long stay for the Warriors players and staff.
Unlike their stay in May last year, when they quarantined at the Scully Park precinct, the Warriors were able mingle with the fans.
They hosted an open training session and also got out and about when possible.
"There's been a few good little cafes we've been able to get out to - it's been really good with the locals," Warriors rake Wayde Egan said.
"We couldn't do that last time we were here. It's been good to interact with the locals and everyone's very friendly out here so it's been good."
Laing said he was "absolutely stoked" to have been able to offer the precinct's services to the Warriors during their stay.
"The relationship developed with ourselves and the Warriors is just rock solid. It's a mutual friendship between two organisations that get on very well. We respect each other and it's been a pleasure to host the Warriors for the last month," he said.
The Wests Tigers will be in Tamworth from this Sunday through to Friday and they will do a stack of activities with the community, which are to be announced, during their stay.
Tickets for that match will go on sale after the Tigers' visit next week.
Ben Jaffrey
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
