Fans flocking back to Mt Smart
SYDNEY: Warriors fans are on board with their NRL resurgence, as the club’s 50 start to the season is on track to potentially double Mt Smart Stadium crowd numbers from last year.
Mt Smart sold out last week as 25,600 fans packed into the stadium for an NRL doubleheader involving the Warriors and North Queensland as well as the Wests Tigers and Melbourne.
The crowd was one of the biggest in the Auckland club’s history at the stadium, only 3000 fewer than the record figure for the qualifying final loss to Parramatta in 2007.
The club recorded an average attendance of 11,754 as it finished 13th last year, the secondworst in the competition and down from 14,302 in 2016.
More than 14,000 attended its roundtwo clash against the Gold Coast, bringing this year’s average to 19,866.
The average is set to surge with another 20,000plus expected for tomorrow’s clash against Brisbane.
Next Friday, the Warriors will host St George Illawarra, which is also undefeated.
‘‘We’re confident we’ll get another big crowd,’’ Warriors chief executive Cameron George told NZ’s Radio Sport of the Broncos clash.
‘‘There’s a lot of interest. We’d dearly love to sell the place out again but certainly, we should have 20,000plus and our ticket sales are indicating that we’ll certainly get that.
‘‘The team are really focused on putting in another good performance against what will be a desperate Brisbane Broncos.
‘‘The St George game is selling equally as good as the Broncos game and that’s a great indication 10 days out from the game.’’
The Warriors are at Mt Smart for four of their next five matches. — AAP