The NRL has corrected its mistake and clarified the dates for the inaugural Magic Round after initially saying a triple-header would be held at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium next year on the same night the Queensland Reds were due to play at the venue.
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NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg initially announced the Magic Round would be held on May 17-19 next year, but according to the Super Rugby 2019 fixtures, announced last Monday, the Reds were due to take on the New South Wales Waratahs on May 18 at Suncorp Stadium.
It was understood the state government only confirmed the round would be held sometime in May 2019 and the exact date would be set by the NRL after discussions with Suncorp Stadium.
“There has been some miscommunication over the availability of dates. NRL Brisbane Magic Round will occur in Round Nine of next year’s NRL Premiership from May 10-12," the NRL said in a statement on Sunday evening.
The Magic Round involved all 16 teams playing at Suncorp Stadium over three days.
Lord mayor Graham Quirk hoped the "bonanza of rugby league" would entice fans to stay in the eight new four- and five-star hotels that have opened in the River City during the past three years.
Tourism Minister Kate Jones said the sporting spectacle would inject more than $60 million into Queensland’s economy and put Brisbane on the map as "the home of rugby league".
However, Ms Jones could not say how much taxpayer funds were spent to lure the event to Brisbane due to the deal being classified as commercial in confidence.
"Every single decision that we make ... is to ensure that we drive the visitor economy," she said.
"Our estimation is that we will have 300,000 visitor nights here in Brisbane as a consequence of the Magic Round.
"We use the same formula to assess all events and if we don't get visitor nights then we don't buy in.
"We're very confident that because this is a landmark game for the NRL ... that we will absolutely deliver on our commitment to the taxpayers of Queensland and Brisbane.
"We will only support events where we can drive visitor nights ... we know that the Magic Round will deliver magic to the economy."
Mr Greenberg said the Magic Round would call Brisbane home for "a fair period of time" after the multi-year deal was finalised.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our game and create a festival-like occasion for a Premiership Round,” Mr Greenberg said.
“We have seen the success of double-headers in recent seasons, but this takes the concept to another level.
“There are enormous benefits to a full round in the one location. Obviously, there will be significant exposure for such a unique round and it will be a wonderful promotion for all our clubs."
Cr Quirk said the fact that Brisbane was chosen to host the inaugural Magic Round once again demonstrated the city’s reputation for staging major events.
“Major events support our local economy and create jobs right across Brisbane, with their economic impact expected to rise to a record $165 million this financial year,” Cr Quirk said.
“Brisbane will be in the sporting spotlight once again when all 16 NRL teams play a round in the one venue and are set to attract thousands of visitors to fill our hotel rooms and boost our local economy.”
The Magic Round concept was started in the English equivalent of the NRL, the Super League.
