NRL games in Orange? We rank each club's likelihood to play at Sporting Precinct

In October 2022 it was revealed that Orange City Council was in negotiations with at least two NRL clubs to play in Orange. With the future of the sports stadium still unknown at that point, the thought of a top-level team coming out to the city still seemed a mile off.

But following the announcement by Deputy Premier Paul Toole earlier this month that the city had secured $34.5 million for the project - as well as a stadium redesign - those dreams seem a touch closer to reality.

Acting mayor Gerald Power and council CEO David Waddell even noted how the commitment would boost the chance of bringing major sporting events - including NRL or Big Bash games - to town.

But building the stadium is one thing, securing a team willing to play in Orange is a whole other kettle of fish.

So which clubs could be tied to Orange the way the Panthers are linked to Bathurst, or how the Dragons are connected with Mudgee.

Well, one thing we do know is that regional fan-bases and proximity to Orange were two criteria flagged when investigations for a long-term NRL club partnership with Orange was greenlit in April last year.

With the introduction of the Dolphins to the competition this season, that leaves us with 17 possible clubs that could start making regular visits to town.

But before we get to our ladder, let's look at which games are already locked in for regional NSW.

On Saturday, February 18 the Charity Shield hits the road to Mudgee in the Central West for the annual Dragons-Rabbitohs pre-season clash; the Tigers will tackle the Rabbitohs on July 28 in Tamworth; the Tigers will once again travel outside of Sydney to take on the Panthers in Bathurst on April 29; the Sharks and Knights will do battle in Coffs Harbour on May 20, while the Dolphins and Raiders will clash in Wagga Wagga on April 29 as well. That's not to mention the games being played in Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Bundaberg, Perth and Darwin.

So after crunching the numbers, we've tried to piece together which team Orange could soon call their own. For clarity, the list below is not necessarily which team will play in Orange, but which team would make a long-standing partnership with the city...because it does take two to tango.

With apologies to our Kiwi brethren, we can't imagine a single scenario where the Warriors would find themselves aligned with Orange as a possible home away from home.

Let's be honest, having a team from outside the state of NSW decide to start playing one or two games a year in Orange isn't realistic. Although there is undoubtedly support for clubs north of the border here in the Central West, selling the idea to the Sunshine State fanbases would be near impossible.

Now we're getting into realistic opportunities.

While we are still years off the Orange Sports Precinct being ready for games, two of these sides already have deals in place with Coffs (Sharks) and Wagga (Raiders) for games and from all accounts, have no reason to want to leave those cities any time soon, with "exciting news" being thrown around in club statements as far as the eye can see.

If we had to try and list these sides in order of least likely to most, it would have to go Sharks and then Raiders, but we can't see either side leaving adopted homes anytime soon.

As for the Knights, well, they are a bit of a 'meh' selection, with no real buzz to bring them out to town, but a feeling that nobody would complain if they did make the trek either.

We should all know by now the strong connection the Panthers have with communities this side of the mountains.

With Jack Cole and Liam Henry having both made their first grade debuts for the club in 2022, it would be easy to see a PR person pitching the idea of "the great return home"...even if Henry is from Blayney.

What would of course have to happen, is either Bathurst voluntarily give up one of their games, unlikely, or Penrith continue to expand the amount of regional games they play, more likely. NRL club's love a good fairy-tale ending, so if Cole became a regular starter down the track, it's easy to see that storyline playing out. That is a lot of what-ifs though, which is why they rank outside the top five possibilities.

As for the other two teams, the Rabbitohs tried to make Dubbo work, but when the council revealed it had recorded a $67,000 loss from the match between South Sydney and the Raiders, a decision was made to cut ties.

This leaves the Bunnies looking for a new second home...would they give the Central West another crack?

Finally we have the Dragons, which is in its final year of a deal to play the Charity Shield in Mudgee. If the club decided to re-up, then this would be a moot point, but if the Mid-West Council are unable to come to an agreement, then it leaves a hole in St George's pre-season schedule.

We already know that proximity plays a part in a team's desire to make a new community its own, which may have you scratching your head, but a quick Google search will show that the drive between Orange and Paramatta (3 hours 30 minutes), Leichhardt (three hours 38 minutes) and Manly (four hours 10 minutes), isn't that big of a difference.

In saying that, Penrith have showed that creating a 'Westy' connection this side of the Blue Mountains can work wonders, which would lend itself to the Eels or Tigers.

The Tigers are no strangers to a regional clash as previously stated, so in terms of likeliness, we would have to rank it as Sea Eagles (fifth), Eels (Fourth) and Tigers (third) as possible Orange transplants.

These are the teams we believe you are most likely to see suiting up in Orange some time soon.

The Bulldogs and Roosters have already started to establish ties in the city, with the former having its Harvey Norman Women's side playing a pre-season match against the Western Rams at Pride Park in January, while the latter recently hosted a clinic featuring some of its Tarsha Gale players and coaches.

When the scouts start to come, you know a club means serious business. So with Orange's women being picked up left, right and centre by the two clubs, it makes you wonder if they are planning on making a push for what has previously been Panthers territory.

To do so, they would have to take a pretty big stand and there aren't many bigger ways to do that than by bringing and NRL match to Orange...now all we need is the stadium to make it happen.

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