Mr Grant didn’t hold back, pointing out “the Bathurst Council paid significant money over the last few years to bring the Panthers to their city.”

He pitted Bathurst against Dubbo saying “the crowd of 9000 – or slightly under that – was less than we got here (Dubbo) for a Country v City on a miserably cold, wet, freezing day, a couple of years ago”.

The Panthers played their fourth match at Carrington Park on Saturday, beating the Canberra Raiders (24-20). 

The NRL team has now extended their deal with Bathurst until the end of 2028.

“Whilst it’s good to see them out there – I think we need a better deal – with the sporting teams coming to our regions – where ratepayers aren’t paying through the pocket, simply to have them here,” Mr Grant said.

“I think each of the sports have a responsibility to regional NSW to bring their sports to our facilities.

“The Dubbo electorate has the best sporting facilities when it comes to rectangular fields at Glen Willow and Caltex park, in the state.

“They are conducive to having quality events here.

“Glen Willow needs investment, because it doesn’t have the capacity to cope with the growth of sport that wants to come to the region, particularly on junior level, country and state carnival level,” he said.

“An extended ground at Glen Willow is a priority for me – working with the Council there.”

The State budget will be released on June 20.