Hull KR and Wigan Warriors look set to contribute to one of the biggest Super League Grand Final crowds the game has ever seen next Saturday evening.
The Robins and the Warriors will do battle at Old Trafford for the second successive season, and hopes are high that an attendance figure in excess of 70,000 will be reached – something which has not happened since 2017.
That will be aided by the blistering start to ticket sales clubs of both supporters have made – but the Robins set a remarkable milestone within hours of tickets going on sale on Saturday night.
They were put on sale almost immediately after Willie Peters’ side defeated St Helens 20-12 to emerge through a tricky play-off semi-final: and before midnight had even arrived, Rovers had sold a staggering 10,000 tickets.
That number is expected to rise and rise as next weekend approaches, with officials now hopeful of one of the biggest Grand Final crowds in history.
Wigan have also sold 10,000 tickets already, and with both clubs genuinely believing they can go on and win the game, it has added a huge level of interest into the latest meeting of Super League’s top two.
Last year’s attendance of 68,173 was the biggest seen at Old Trafford since 2017, when a crowd of 72,827 were there to watch Castleford Tigers’ first and, so far, only Grand Final appearance when they were beaten by Leeds Rhinos.
The crowd figure has only been over 70,000 eight times before in the previous 27 Grand Finals, meaning we could be set for a huge number in comparison to recent figures this weekend.
The top tier of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand has been opened for sales too, an area that is usually closed off due to a lack of interest, another hint that a big crowd is incoming.
And if Rovers continue to sell tickets at the rate they are doing, we could be in for a very special evening next Saturday at Old Trafford.