Manly's big sacrifice in bid to bring Broncos to Brookvale

The Sea Eagles have relinquished their regular Magic Round clash against the Broncos as they bid to bring Brisbane to Brookvale for the first time in nine years. Manly CEO Tony Mestrov last week confirmed to News Corp that the northern beaches club was lobbying the NRL to host blockbuster clashes against the Broncos, Roosters and Eels at 4 Pines Park in 2025, but that wish appears to have cost the Sea Eagles their spot at Magic Round, with Anthony Seibold's team landing the bye for the most popular weekend on the calendar for the first time. The NRL on Wednesday morning released the draw for Magic Round, which will kick off on Friday May 2 with a clash between the Sharks and the Eels. Suncorp Stadium tenants the Dolphins will take the Broncos' regular prime time Friday night slot on the Magic Round schedule, with Kristian Woolf's side the 'away' team in a match-up with Trent Robinson's Roosters. Saturday kicks off with the Rabbitohs up against the Knights at 3pm, followed by Warriors v Cowboys at 5.30pm and Tigers v Dragons at 7.45pm. The Suncorp Stadium extravaganza is capped off by three Sunday games, with the Titans facing the Bulldogs at 1.50pm, followed by Panthers v Broncos at 4.05pm, with the Storm to face the Raiders with the last game of the round at 6.25pm. Brisbane's Sunday afternoon clash with the four-time reigning premiers signals the end of a commercial deal struck in 2015, which ensured the Sea Eagles would give up a home game and play the Broncos at Suncorp every year, with that deal rolling into Magic Round from its inception in 2019. "We want the Broncos to play at 4 Pines Park," Mestrov said last week. "We haven't played Brisbane at 4 Pines Park since 2014 so we have put in a request to play them at home. It would be exciting to play the Broncos at Brookvale," he added.

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