Kelly’s Irish Pub Covers Entire Venue With Plastic Sheets In Preparation For The Mudgee Magic Round

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT

As the top-of-the-table Canberra Raiders inch closer to the team’s first minor premiership in 35 years, the entire code will be watching their match against the reigning 4-time champion Penrith Panthers this Friday night.

What was meant to be a cute rural exhibition of pre-finals football, has since become the biggest match of the year – as tens of thousands of Raiders and Penrith fans converge on the Central-West NSW town of Mudgee to watch what could very well be a rehearsal of the 2025 grand final.

The game at Glen Willow Oval on marks the Panthers first visit to Mudgee in club history, as the two team descend upon a neutral regional that sits in between both the Western Suburbs of Sydney and the Australian Capital Territory.

With Mudgee only a couple hours drive from Penrith, and Canberra fans used to travelling – this will also be one of the biggest nights of the year in the charming bush town.

But it’s not the fresh country air that the visitors will be treated to. There will also be loud pub rock and cold lager – as the pubs prepare to put on a hell of a show.

Mudgee’s iconic Kelly’s Irish Pub is reportedly dying the beer green in tribute to the Mighty Canberra Raiders, but will also be selling $10 VCRs to keep the Raiders fans happy.

And unlike the cultural wasteland that surrounds Accor Stadium in Homebush, Mudgee is a ‘wide awake’ town – and one that treats bush footy with the respect it deserves.

Visitors can expect to be treated to flowing hard solos, full-strength beer, and packed outdoor smoking terraces.

As home to one of the rowdiest rural nightclubs in Australia, the staff at Kelly’s are preparing for the calm elasticity required from them throughout the evening, with influxes of pre-match drinking, following by a post-march all-nighter.

Staff are currently putting up plastic sheets to protect the walls of memorabilia and bespoke restaurant furniture, as Kelly’s looks to put on the type of party that Sydney has not seen since before the 2015 lockout laws.

On top of this, a resident DJ will be pumping out the very best of Cold Chisel, Bon Jovi, and MGMT for some reason.

The bouncers do not care if you soil your shirt doing the worm on the rum-soaked dancefloor, or fart while doing the robot.