Updated March 13, 2020 13:50:15

Photo: Grounds manager Bruce Fouracre said it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be looking after the field at a new stadium. (ABC North Queensland: Chloe Chomicki)

Preparing the grass on an NRL field is not unlike getting ready for a big night out.

Or so says Bruce Fouracre, grounds manager at the new $290 million home of the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville, who has been putting the final touches on the field for the first game at the venue.

"I want to try and make it look as attractive as I can," Mr Fouracre said.

"We only get one chance to have the first game, so everything has got to be right."

The Cowboys will host the Brisbane Broncos in front of a capacity crowd for the first game of the 2020 NRL season.

Photo: The Cowboy's Country' lintel from their former home ground sits above the new players' entrance. (ABC North Queensland: Jonathan O'Neill)

Most of the turf at the new, multi-use stadium was put down ahead of the community open day last month, and was underneath terra-flooring used for the Elton John concert on February 29.

Last week, the final section of turf was laid at the northern end, and it held up to this week's training sessions.

Mr Fouracre said multi-use stadiums were a good challenge for grounds managers.

"It is not even two weeks and it is ready for a game of football. It tests us out in our profession," he said.

That time Malcolm Turnbull helped mark the field

As he was painting the try line this week, Mr Fouracre recalled a very different scene in May 2017, when he stood beside then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull for the announcement of the stadium's building contractor.

"We came here when it was scrub and bush, and they pegged out where the try line was going to be, and myself and Malcolm Turnbull walked along with a marker marking it out," Mr Fouracre said.

"And this morning I actually marked it out for real. It was a surreal moment," he said.

Photo: Mr Fouracre said Malcolm Turnbull helped him mark a try line for the proposed stadium in May 2017. (Facebook: Malcolm Turnbull)

Mr Fouracre, who has previously worked at the Sydney Cricket Ground, said he felt privileged to be preparing a field for the first time.

"It is a once-in-a-lifetime thing — getting a new stadium to look after," Mr Fouracre said.

A lot of the on-pitch advertising that television audiences see during an NRL broadcast is virtual.

The line marking is done by Mr Fouracre, who spends half a day on the task.

"All the other logos that you see on the ground on game day are done by computer," he said.

"It saves a lot of wear on the grass."

Photo: Mr Fouracre said a few more mower passes to define the stripes would be his final touches ahead of the game. (ABC North Queensland: Chloe Chomicki)

The secret to striped turf

With rainy conditions in the lead-up to the Cowboys versus Broncos match, Mr Fouracre said it had been a challenge to get the field perfect for the clash.

He said he thought a little more liquid fertiliser and a few more mower passes to define the stripes would be his final touches ahead of the game.

He said people often asked him how he got the stripes on the field.

"It is the direction of your mow — it is pushing the grass that way then coming back the other way," Mr Fouracre said.

"You need a decent mower, too. You need one with a roller on it. You can't just sort of get your Victa out and do it."

Kick-off for the game is 7:05pm AEST.

Topics: nrl, sport, human-interest, townsville-4810, brisbane-4000, qld

First posted March 13, 2020 06:47:42