Knights seek compensation for Magic Round exclusion

The Newcastle Knights have pulled the short straw for next year's Magic Round - the first with a bye - and as compensation CEO Phillip Gardner has suggested bringing the fixture to the Hunter Valley in future.

The introduction of The Dolphins and expansion to 17 teams meant one club was always destined to be sidelined for rugby league's biggest carnival.

And while Gardner understands the reality of the situation, he also hopes for some form of payback for Newcastle fans.

“We would love to (host) a Magic Round or a State of Origin (that) would be great,” Gardner told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“The economics of that make it very difficult because it's a bidding process. You would need the support of the NSW Government to do that, but certainly in Newcastle, at McDonald Jones Stadium, it would be a sellout all of the time.

“I don't know if that's economically feasible … but we would love to have it.

“It [Magic Round] should be shared around in years to come.

“Someone had to miss out, we get that. The fans are disappointed not to be included.

“We understand they would want the Queensland clubs involved because they need to sell tickets, but it's still disappointing to have missed out. I don't think you will ever see a Magic Round in Brisbane without Brisbane and the Dolphins.

“We won't take a home game away from McDonald Jones Stadium, so that puts us at the back of the pack. It's too important to our home fans, those games. Other clubs may be in a different situation."

Newcastle's home ground, McDonald Jones Stadium holds a capicity of only around 33,000 spectators compared to Suncorp's over 52,000.

However, Queensland Country Bank Stadium, which hosted the 2021 State of Origin opener during the coronavirus pandemic, is limited to a capacity of just over 25,000.

Newcastle regularly attract big crowds to their home games despite the struggles of the Knights in recent seasons.