Super Cronk
09-06-06, 10:17 AM
heraldsun.com.au
RUGBY League's third and possibly series-deciding State of Origin clash at Telstra Dome is almost a sell-out.
Only 5000 tickets remained yesterday for the heavyweight battle between New South Wales and Queensland, despite the game not kicking off until July 5.
Fans are being urged to get cracking if they want a seat for Origin's first Melbourne appearance in almost a decade.
Australian Rugby League chairman Colin Love admitted he was pleasantly surprised by the ticket surge.
"I'm shocked it has gone so well so early," Mr Love said. "I always believed it would go well
in the end because the Victorian public are big supporters of major sporting events and they turn up in numbers.
"I'm very confident this game will be a sell-out."
He said Melburnians would be taken aback by the intensity of one of sport's fiercest rivalries.
"You don't see it in too many sports, there's that much feeling," Mr Love said. "Teammates from the same clubs play against each other and belt each other, that's the sort of passion it brings out.
"Whether it proves to be the series decider or the battle to avoid a clean sweep in the series, it is a match that is going to be high in emotion and skill.
"The way the Melbourne public have supported its return will make it a night to remember for everyone."
RUGBY League's third and possibly series-deciding State of Origin clash at Telstra Dome is almost a sell-out.
Only 5000 tickets remained yesterday for the heavyweight battle between New South Wales and Queensland, despite the game not kicking off until July 5.
Fans are being urged to get cracking if they want a seat for Origin's first Melbourne appearance in almost a decade.
Australian Rugby League chairman Colin Love admitted he was pleasantly surprised by the ticket surge.
"I'm shocked it has gone so well so early," Mr Love said. "I always believed it would go well
in the end because the Victorian public are big supporters of major sporting events and they turn up in numbers.
"I'm very confident this game will be a sell-out."
He said Melburnians would be taken aback by the intensity of one of sport's fiercest rivalries.
"You don't see it in too many sports, there's that much feeling," Mr Love said. "Teammates from the same clubs play against each other and belt each other, that's the sort of passion it brings out.
"Whether it proves to be the series decider or the battle to avoid a clean sweep in the series, it is a match that is going to be high in emotion and skill.
"The way the Melbourne public have supported its return will make it a night to remember for everyone."