29 Jul 2024

Up the Wahs: Home crowd sell-outs create NRL record

4:23 pm on 29 July 2024

If you're thinking about heading to either of the last two Warriors home games this season and haven't got a ticket yet, bad luck. The club announced on Monday that they are the first in NRL history to complete a grand slam of sold-out home games in a season.

The Warriors have completed a perfect record of selling out all 10 games at Go Media Mt Smart Stadium this year plus their home against Canberra in Christchurch.

The current crowd average at Mt Smart for the season is 23,684 people. That is the third highest of any team after the Broncos and Roosters, who have much larger stadiums as home grounds.

Not only is it a first for an NRL club, it is also thought to be a first for a New Zealand sporting franchise.

"It's an unbelievable achievement and one we're very proud of," Warriors chief executive Cameron George said.

"Most of all this is a tribute to our members and fans who have been behind the team and the club all the way. They're the heroes here, simply the best fans there are."

This Friday night's match against the Eels officially sold out on Monday morning, while the final few tickets for the Canterbury Bankstown encounter were picked up on Sunday, almost four weeks before game day on 23 August.

Coach Andrew Webster also hailed the fans, in particular pointing to the large ovation for kicker Chanel Harris-Tavita received in Friday night's 28-16 win over the Tigers.

"(The fans') knowledge of the game, like Chanel's kick on the weekend, how much they got behind him. They had his back and I love that," Webster said.

"I said it last year - how we'd lost four in a row and we came home to a sold out game. This year, we haven't achieved what we've wanted to on the field yet and they've stuck solid."

Despite the good news regarding the turnstiles ticking over, the Warriors do have an uphill battle to repeat last season's feat of making the playoffs. One more loss will put their destiny up to other results with six rounds remaining.

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