With the furore around the last City versus Country origin contest and the selection woes that struck both sides, it might be tempting to give the match a miss.
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There’s no local hero in Josh Jackson and several NRL clubs put their foot down and blocked their players from coming.
Others were unavailable due to “injury” but will be ready to play for their NRL clubs next week.
But while that controversy may have detracted from the glamour of the event, here’s why you should still attend.
Sure, some of the marque players might be missing but the 34 men who have been chosen really want to run out onto Glen Willow Oval on Sunday and they will give it everything they’ve got.
The guys who pull on the Country jersey will still want to give their City cousins a bit of a touch up and come away with a win.
And there is something in it for Mudgee if the match goes well.
As of Sunday afternoon at 6pm the City-Country concept will be dead, buried with more than 100 years of history.
But the NRL is talking about bring more matches out to regional areas and a good crowd for Mudgee on Sunday would send a very direct message to league bosses that we would welcome them.
Think of it as an audition. If Glen Willow is packed to the rafters with almost 10,000 screaming fans, it would be pretty hard for the NRL to say no to bringing another game back soon.
When Parramatta played the Gold Coast at Mudgee in 2013, a crowd of 9100 fans turned out. And for City-Country in 2012, more than 8500 went through the gates.
Dubbo, a city with a population three times greater than Mudgee, drew 9600 when it hosted City-Country in 2014, while Bathurst has drawn less than 7000 for Penrith Panthers home games in 2015 and 2016.
And Glen Willow itself is the most modern and arguably best facility in the central west.
That isn’t even mentioning the way Mudgee embraces any sporting event that comes to town, from businesses to residents.
Getting out and supporting events that come to town comes naturally for Mudgee and that is why so many big events come our way.
So if you are on the fence about heading to Glen Willow on Sunday, why not head out?
It will be good for the town, and give the City-Country concept a deserving send-off.
