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In a major win for rugby league fans, the All Stars concept will return in 2019, with the fixture being confirmed today by the NRL.
However, instead of the World or NRL All Stars as we have seen in the past, it’ll be a New Zealand Maori team set to take on some of Australia’s best playing for the Indigenous All Stars.
While the fixture has previously been held in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Newcastle, it will take its first trip out of the traditional heartland states this year, with AAMI Park in Melbourne set to host the fixture.
The match, set to be played on Friday February 15, will also be a double-header with a women’s match set to precede the men’s.
NRL Head of Football, Brian Canavan is expecting strong support for the matches.
“The All-Stars concept has been popular with crowds across the country and abroad since it first commenced back in 2010,” Mr Canavan said.
“In 2019, we’re taking the All-Stars to another level – paying homage to Australian and New Zealand First Nations cultures and celebrating the unique bond between both countries.”
The All Stars concept was put on the back burner along with the Auckland Nines this year, owing to a shorter pre-season brought about by the Rugby League World Cup, which was played in Australia and New Zealand at the end of 2017.
Fans have long bemoaned the All Stars game, which has often had one side with everything to play for and the other with no sense of meaning in the fixture.
With the addition of the Maori team, it should bring an added purpose, with both teams having their culture and heritage to play for when they take the field.