Titans taste crowd success

IT has been the fortnight from hell for the Gold Coast Titans but at last they are set for a win off the field.

The club are on the verge of recording an average crowd increase in back-to-back seasons for the first time in their 11-year history.

To achieve the feat, the Titans must draw at least 12,181 fans to the 3pm kickoff tomorrow against Canterbury at Cbus Super Stadium.

There have been widespread concerns that the clash could be played in front of a sea of empty seats but Gold Coast chief executive Graham Annesley revealed ticket sales are looking positive.

Despite extraordinary scenes that culminated in coach Neil Henry’s sacking and the prospect of a slugfest between the struggling Titans and Bulldogs sides who are both out of finals contention, Annesley said trends by midweek had them on track for their sixth biggest home crowd of the year.

That would topple the 13,140 that rocked up to witness a 20-10 win over St George Illawarra – and see the club seal another year-on-year improvement in the stands.

Such a turnout would also complete a full season without a crowd below 10,000 for the first time since 2013, when the arena was known as Skilled Park. By comparison, four of the team’s past five away games have been played in front of four-figure crowds as low as 6826 for their Round 24 showdown with Parramatta at ANZ Stadium.

The Gold Coast have attracted an average of 13,946 supporters across their first 11 home matches this year. While still significantly down on the 21,618 average for the Robina stadium’s debut year in 2008, the current figure is 24 per cent above their 2015 level.

It shapes as a win for the club in what has otherwise been a forgettable year.

“Given the inconsistent team performance I think that the crowds have been pretty consistent,” Annesley said.

“This week is a bit of an unknown because there are some unusual factors that wouldn’t normally apply to most games but we’ll see what happens.”

Departing Titans such as Chris McQueen are expected to be given a farewell before the Bulldogs match.