The North Queensland Cowboys and South Sydney Rabbitohs will meet in a trial at Barlow Park in Cairns on Saturday, February 19.
It will be both sides first official hit out of the pre-season, with the Rabbitohs having already locked in the Charity Shield for the following week in Mudgee against the St George Illawarra Dragons.
The Rabbitohs took a home game to Carins every year between 2013 and 2018, playing against the Cowboys in the 2018 edition of the match.
It's unlikely many senior players will take part in the trial, however, with all trials to be broadcast on Fox Sports this pre-season, it will give fans a chance to watch the best up and coming talent in the game.
The kick-off time for the match is yet to be confirmed.
The Cowboys, in a statement, also confirmed their second trial would be played a week later at BB Print Stadium in Mackay, however, the club declined to reveal the date of the match, or the opposition.
Cowboys' general manager Michael Luck said Cairns was an important region for the Cowboys.
โCairns is an extremely important region for our club and has produced some of the finest players ever to pull on a Cowboys jersey. The latest batch to come through our Cairns academy in Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Heilum Luki and Jeremiah Nanai are three of the best young juniors in the game,โ Luck said.
โWeโre excited to travel up to Cairns to play in front of our members and fans from the Far North.
โWe are also looking forward to working with the Northern Pride while weโre in Cairns as well as holding an open training session at Jones Park the day prior to the game.
โWhilst we may not be fielding our full-strength team, fans will still have the opportunity to watch some of our brightest young talents who will be champing at the bit to start 2022 on the best possible note and push for a spot in Toddโs Round 1 side.โ
Rabbitohs' new head coach Jason Demetriou is a former coach of the Northern Pride (based in Cairns) and said he understood how passionate the region was for NRL, with the club to also spend a week in a training camp in Cairns prior to the game.
โThis will be an important game for our squad as players show their wares leading into the early rounds of the competition,โ Demetriou said.
โI spent many seasons at the Northern Pride and understand how passionate the people of Cairns and the surrounding districts are about their Rugby League.
โThis will be a great chance for them to come out and show their support for the Rabbitohs which was built over those six previous seasons, as well as the local club in the Cowboys.
โWeโre looking forward to getting up there into camp and then putting on a show for the people of Cairns.โ
