National Rugby League side Manly Sea Eagles is "set to confirm up to three NRL games" in Christchurch, New Zealand, according to Tony Smith of STUFF. Christchurch promoter Justin Wallace called a press conference on Tuesday "with a NRL club CEO and Kiwi international player." A spokesperson for Wallace said that no information could be released before the announcement, but a Manly supporters forum, Silvertails.net, reported the Sea Eagles "are set to move home games to Christchurch in a bid to boost their balance sheet." Silvertails.net said that NRL clubs that moved home games to New Zealand could be guaranteed "up to A$300,000 ($239,000) per game -- an attractive lure for Manly, whose private owners are staring down the barrel of a multi-million deficit this year." Officials from the Sydney club were understood to be in Christchurch on Monday to meet Christchurch City Council and Horncastle Arena officials and sign a contract. Wallace brought the Penrith Panthers to Christchurch in '16 for a home game against the New Zealand Warriors. That match -- the first NRL fixture in Christchurch for six years -- was a sell-out with 17,669 people in the stands, and injected an estimated NZ$10M ($7.26M) into the Christchurch economy. Penrith was "meant to bring a game to Christchurch for the next four years, but the deal was later scuppered" with the '17 match cancelled. A Manly move to Christchurch would also "help soften the blow of the city missing out on All Blacks games for the next three years" (STUFF, 8/28).
