The Knights have put their hand up to host a future Magic Round after being left out of next season’s fixtures.
The Dolphins’ addition in 2023 will see the competition expand from 16 to 17 teams, meaning one club will miss out on the festival round held at Suncorp Stadium in May.
The draw for next season was released on Thursday, confirming that the Knights are the unlucky team to receive a bye during Magic Round.
Knights CEO Phil Gardner told The Sydney Morning Herald that it’s “disappointing” and has encouraged the NRL to reward Newcastle with a showpiece event like Magic Round.
“We would love to. A Magic Round or a State of Origin would be great,” he said.
“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.”
The Knights will be included in 2024’s Magic Round with an NRL spokesperson confirming last week plans to rotate the bye between clubs going forward.
Gardner understands that “someone had to miss out” but conceded “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,” he said.
“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.
“It’s disappointing for the fans because the fans love a good trip and getting up to Brisbane is a good trip. We’re disappointed, but we know the factors involved in it.”
Brisbane staved off a bid from the NSW government to keep Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium for the next two seasons, but a location hasn’t been locked in for 2025 and beyond.
