The Aquis Titans will cover plenty of territory next February as we plough into the pre-season with matches in Auckland and Alice Springs.
The 2016 campaign for most NRL teams will begin with the Auckland Nines over the weekend of February 6-7 and the Titans will field a strong side with the likes of James Roberts, David Mead, Josh Hoffman, Kane Elgey and newcomers Ashley Taylor and Tyrone Roberts sure to be prominent.
The following weekend the Titans will take on Parramatta in Alice Springs at Anzac Oval, as part of the Eels’ four-year agreement with the Northern Territory Government to play a pre-season and NRL match each season in the territory and to promote the sport.
The Titans have played three times in Darwin – trial matches against the Cowboys and Sharks and an NRL game against Penrith in 2013 – but this will be our first visit to the Red Centre.
“It will be a wonderful experience for our players and it’s great to also play a role in promoting the NRL at Alice Springs where there is good support for the game,” said Titans general manager of football Scott Clark.
“We’re well into planning our subsequent trials and should be able to announce details in coming weeks but we’ll certainly cover some kilometres going from Auckland to Alice in the first couple of weeks.”
NT Minister for Sport and Recreation Gary Higgins said the game was an opportunity for Central Australia to get an exclusive preview of the two NRL teams ahead of the 2016 season.
“This match will be a treat for rugby league fans in Alice Springs, as they get an exclusive preview of how the Eels and Titans are shaping up in 2016,” he said.
Kick off times and ticket pricing will be confirmed in the coming months.
