Imagine a North Queensland side playing at the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines in February with its fabulous "spine" players - Lachlan Coote, Michael Morgan, Johnathan Thurston and Jake Granville - all on the field at once.
Tickets for the most thrilling event in rugby league can be purchased through the NRL on www.nrl.com/tickets.
It remains to be seen exactly what squad coach Paul Green decides to field in the event, but the Cowboys have proved in the first two years of the Nines that they have so much talent they will always be contenders.
North Queensland won the Nines in 2014 and made the quarter-finals last year and Fox Sports commentator Greg Alexander, who covered both tournaments for the network, says they are bound to be exciting to watch again.
"The Cowboys won it the first year without Thurston and with Coote having gone down injured early in the tournament," Alexander says. "They've got a spine now that has operated at least as well as any other quartet in the NRL this season and better than most.
"The speed of both Granville and Morgan - that's a pretty dangerous combination if they decide to play them both in the Nines, because they know when to run. They make great decisions about that.
"Jason Taumalolo in the middle and terrific outside backs like Kane Linnett, Antonio Winterstein and Justin O'Neill - the Cowboys have certainly got plenty of talent to pick from."
The 2016 event will be held at Eden Park in Auckland on 6-7 February and tickets to 'The Greatest Weekend' are now available at prices ranging from just $NZD69 (approx. $AUD61) for a two-day pass.
Tickets for children are available at half the adult price in most categories.
The biggest stars in the NRL, representing all 16 clubs, will again be playing in the event - including superstars Billy Slater and Shaun Johnson, who have each nominated the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines as their comeback date from major injuries that ended their 2015 NRL seasons early.
It is going to be a great opportunity for league fans to see the best players in the game exercising their super skills on an open field.
There is nothing like this tournament for excitement, with NRL teams facing up against NRL teams in quick succession over one action-packed weekend leading up to the final prize.
The fans will also be able to get up close and personal and watch teams go through their warm-ups for games on the number one field.
There will be a whopping $NZ2.6 million in prizemoney up for grabs at the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines. Don't miss it. This is your chance to see the greatest rugby league players in the world really turning it on for the fans.
BOOK NOW: www.nrl.com/tickets
TRAVEL PACKAGES ALSO ON-SALE
- 3 x night packages incl airfares, transfers, accomm and 2 x day ticket from $1,399 pp
- 4 x night packages incl airfares, transfers, accomm and 2 x day ticket $1,464 pp
- 5 x night packages incl airfares, transfers, accomm and 2 x day ticket from $1,554 pp
Quote COWBOYS when you book your travel package.
For enquiries:
https://www.sportsnetholidays.com/events/rugby-league/auckland-nines/
Author: Greg Prichard
