NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Member for Tweed Geoff Provest paid a visit to Piggabeen Sports Complex on Sunday (May 27) to cheer on the Tweed Heads Seagulls as they took on the Sunshine Coast Falcons in the Intrust Super Cup.
"We were thrilled to host the Deputy Premier and Geoff Provest at our game on Sunday," said Seagulls CEO Paul Stephenson.
"They're officially our new good luck charms because we beat the Falcons 18-12 to extend our unbeaten run to six games," Mr Stephenson said.
"State of Origin (Game I) is just round the corner and as the only NSW Club in the Queensland Cup we play our own 'state of origin' every week and I think they enjoyed watching us beat the Queenslanders," he said.
"It was a bit tense at 14-12 with seven minutes to go but after Brendan Elliot scored in the corner we told them they could come back anytime.
"Perhaps more important for the club was to have the opportunity to talk to the Deputy Premier about our vision for the future of Seagulls.
"We recently applied for NSW Government funding to improve the facilities at Piggabeen. We want to work with Tweed Shire Council and the State Government to turn it into a high-performance regional community sports facility.
"The facility will include women's change rooms to allow us to introduce a women's rugby league program in 2019, a gymnasium for improved strength and conditioning for our players, Seagulls Juniors and other sporting codes and public toilets.
Pathway to NRL
"As an official feeder club to the Gold Coast Titans we are the only official pathway in northern NSW into the NRL. We want to be the club in Tweed that the community aspire to play and barrack for," Mr Stephenson said.
"The support of the NSW Government is integral to our success so to have the opportunity to share our vision with the Deputy Premier and Geoff was fantastic."
Mr Barilaro said: "With State of Origin coming up, it was great to watch the Gulls take on the Falcons to get an early taste of that cross-border rivalry we thrive on at this time of year."
Mr Provest said: "It's always nice when the home side comes away with an impressive win."
