Well, if you can't poke a bit of fun at our trans-Tasman rivals, who can we poke a bit of fun at.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Illawarra and Dragons tragic Gareth Ward made the announcement on WIN Stadium on Monday. The announcement was met with much excitement and rightly so.

The fact its a doubleheader with the Kangaroos and the Jillaroos both facing their Kiwi arch rivals makes this so much better.

It's been a tough off-season for NRL Chief Executive Officer Todd Greenberg, but this one was an easy win for the code.

"Rugby league has a home in the Illawarra, so we’re delighted to bring the pinnacle of rugby league back to Wollongong for the first time in five years," he said.

Mr Greenberg acknowledged the last time test match rugby league was played in Wollongong, one of the best ever attendances was recorded.

Well, it is likely that bar will be lifted someone especially with the Jillaroos and the Kangaroos likely to include a host of hometown heroes.

Players such as Damien Cook and Kezie Apps, to name just a couple, will hopefully be among the stars that will grace the Stadium turf on October 25.

Kezie Apps was actually a rookie in the Jillaroos team when they last stepped out on to Wollongong stadium back in 2014.

"It's where I played my first ever Test match so it'll always be a really special place for me," she told the Illawarra Mercury.

"It was my first year of footy and all my family and friends from Bega were able to come up here and watch. When I heard there was going to be another Test here it really brought those memories back."

Not only will the matches be a big boost for local league fans and for local tourism, but they will provide terrific exposure for the Illawarra and Wollongong.

Both games will be telecast live nationally across the Nine Network, Fox Sports and NRL Live Pass, as well as Sky NZ in New Zealand.

READ MORE: Jillaroos star Apps eyes WIN Stadium homecoming