Port Macquarie has received a glowing endorsement for how the region again coped with the influx of thousands of visitors and players for the 2022 NSW Senior State Cup.
And while the 2023 NSW Junior State Cup northern conference event is headed to Dubbo in February, it is hoped that it will be a temporary solution.
Taree Touch Association president Graham Goodwin threw his support behind the return of the senior State Cup event to the Tuffins Lane and Regional Stadium precincts in 2023.
"We're disappointed the northern conference for the juniors has gone to Dubbo because of a bad couple of seasons we've had," he said.
"We don't mind the travel, but Port Macquarie as a venue... you just can't beat it because it has everything it needs.
"I just hope the northern conference comes back to Port Macquarie [in 2024]. We're happy if it stays at Port Macquarie all the time."
The contract for future hosting rights for the annual touch football tournament is now up for grabs following the completion of the 2022 senior tournament on December 4.
Mr Goodwin believed Port Macquarie-Hastings Council's decision to buy back the land at Tuffins Lane will be a positive step in the right direction.
"It's a bonus council are looking to buy the land up there, so they can improve some of the drainage problems they have had," he said.
"I've got no complaints. I think [Port Macquarie Touch Association] do a great job with the way they run it. The whole thing went really smoothly."
Port Macquarie Touch Association president Wayne Prince said the three-day carnival went off without a hitch other than a minor hiccup over food supplied which was rectified within half an hour.
He was hopeful the region and community had done enough to maintain their stranglehold on hosting the senior event for another three years.
An announcement is expected to be made early next year regarding the 2023 senior tournament and the 2024 junior event.
"There's no reason that I can see that we should have it taken away unless council doesn't follow through on their promises of fixing the drainage," Mr Prince said.
The president admitted he would be "devastated" if Port Macquarie wasn't successful with their bid to retain the event.
"I'd be devastated because I don't believe there's anywhere else that has the facilities, the accommodation and everything all in the one place," he said.
"You're only as good as your last one and I didn't see anything out there to change anything."
NSW Touch Association general manager Dean Russell said the much-publicised drainage issues at the venue were not a problem despite rainfall on Thursday evening, Friday morning, Friday evening and Saturday morning.
"[The fields] were all in really good nick and [the rain] wasn't really anything that affected us - it probably helped freshen up the fields," he said.
"Everyone was really excited and pleased to be back on the park because it has been a horrible 12 months for us as a sport. Our adult community haven't been able to play much touch in that time."
He acknowledged the senior event had largely escaped heavy rainfall unlike the junior event.
"It all gets rolled into one a lot and even when we had the postponement and then cancelled last year, it was the first time ever we've cancelled or postponed in 33 years we'd been coming there," he said.
"One out of 33 isn't a bad ratio."
Mr Russell confirmed the final decision on the three-year tender for the 2024-2026 NSW Junior State Cup and 2023-2025 Senior State Cup events will be made early in the new year.
"We would hope to have a decision and announce that in early February," he said.
"We had a bit of rain first thing Friday morning and overnight Thursday and on Friday night and Saturday morning as well, but it wasn't anything that affected us - it probably helped freshen up the fields,"
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