The CLP Government has signed a deal with the Dolphins National Rugby League team to host three matches in Darwin over the next three years, with the announcement coming a day after the Chief Minister reportedly attended the State of Origin match in the NRL’s corporate box.

The Dolphins will play a home game in Darwin annually from 2026 to 2028 at TIO Stadium, with the cost to taxpayers remaining secret. The deal follows the team’s debut in the Top End in 2024, where they played the government’s previous partner, the Parramatta Eels, who had been playing homes games in the NT for years.

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro announced the deal early Thursday morning in a statement, while in Brisbane for a gas industry conference, but would not reveal the cost to taxpayers of the arrangement.

Her office said she would personally meet with the Dolphins at their home ground in Redcliffe Thursday, “highlighting the natural connection between the Territory and Queensland”.

However, her office would not comment on her attendance at the State of Origin match on Wednesday night at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Multiple sources told the NT Independent she was a guest in the NRL’s corporate box. It is unclear if the tickets were a gift and who paid for the hospitality.

“Securing this three-year deal with the Dolphins demonstrates our commitment to top-tier sport in the Territory – a legacy the CLP started,” Ms Finocchiaro said in a statement that was issued at 5am Thursday morning.

Dolphins NRL Chief Executive Officer Terry Reader said the Dolphins “know the Northern Territory very well” after playing one game here and have also been involved in “several community engagement tours” in the NT over the past two years.

“We are excited about locking in three NRL matches in Darwin over the next three years and the opportunities that will provide us to continually engage with the people of the NT,” he said.

The deal comes after the completion of the Territory’s 12-year partnership with the Eels.

Ms Finocchiaro said the Dolphins’ “professionalism, community values, and regional focus made them an ideal fit”.

“The Dolphins are already part of the Territory community; they’ve run clinics in Darwin and Katherine, and we know they’ll keep investing in our grassroots game and our people,” she said.

The Dolphins’ head coach Kristian Woolf is Mix 104.9 radio personality Katie Woolf’s brother.

“We’re excited to continue growing this partnership – the Dolphins bring energy, opportunity, and genuine connection, and we look forward to what the next three years will deliver for rugby league across the Territory,” NRL NT general manager Tony Crowe said.

Despite not disclosing the cost, the government said the games would drive tourism to the NT and help the economy, pointing to last year’s match that it claimed “generated more than $5 million in spending and 12,688 visitor nights”.

While the cost to NT taxpayers was not disclosed publicly, last year the AFL published an article on its website stating the Tasmanian government would pay Hawthorn $13.5 million for three regular season games and a pre-season game each year over the coming two years, which worked out to nearly $1.7 million per game.