ORANGE is set to benefit from Daniel Mortimer’s decision to sign a new two-year deal with Parramatta.

The successful contract negotiations with the boom half, who was yesterday named at five-eighth for Parramatta’s round one blockbuster against the Dragons, could prove the final hurdle in the city’s race to host one of the Eels’ 2011 trial matches.

Talks between the Parramatta club and event promoter Toney Fitzgerald, who brought the successful Canberra Raiders versus Brisbane Broncos trial to Orange in 2008, have been in the pipeline for several months.

The St George Illawarra Dragons loom as the Eels’ most likely opponent.

“We instigated talks four or five months ago. Since then we’ve had several positive discussions with Parramatta’s chief operations officer Phil Moss and they’ve expressed a desire to play in Orange,” Fitzgerald said.

“It is Parramatta’s responsibility to find an opponent for the match and at this stage the Eels and Dragons have a good relationship, so it’s more than likely.”

“They went to Perth earlier this year and I don’t think either of the two sides are keen to go that far again.”

An Eels-Dragons clash would be one of the biggest games the Central West has seen.

The sides are two of the most popular in the National Rugby League and were in scintillating form at different stages of the 2009 season.

“We are quietly confident of them agreeing to play at Wade Park on the second or third weekend in February,” Fitzgerald said.

Dragons mentor Wayne Bennett is no stranger to the city, bringing the Broncos to Orange in February 2008 for a trial.

“Bennett knows the town, he knows we run a good operation up here and has no worries bringing the Dragons to the town,” he said.

“It will be awesome having those two sides here in Orange. It will be very positive for the town.”

Orange City councillor Jason Hamling, the chairman of the city’s sports committee, says while the game is a likely possibility, Parramatta CEO Paul Osborne will still have to look over the facilities in Orange.

“Paul Osborne is likely to come up to Orange in the next three or four weeks to sort out a few details,” Hamling said.

“We’ll sit down with him and talk about the game then.”