Despite being the most hyped NRL game outside the grand final — and the first time these waring clubs have met in a playoff since 1938 — ticket sales are tracking for an elimination final crowd of 50,000 at ANZ Stadium.
The worrying projection means the second biggest game of the NRL season would fall short of this year’s Homebush crowds for the Wallabies’ Bledisloe Cup match, the Waratahs’ Super 15 triumph, even the A-League All Stars v Juventus match.
Roosters v Rabbitohs should be one of the game’s biggest drawcards.
At a time when league’s overall health is being questioned, the Rabbitohs-Roosters match looms as an undeniable litmus test.
While the NRL is determined to bring more games to big stadiums, there remains a host of question marks over the game’s ability to connect with fans thanks to issues such as pricing, wrestling, accessibility and the rise and rise of other digital mediums through which Generation Y can view their footy.
Certainly a crowd of 60,000 would be considered a benchmark considering after as many fans attended the Round 26 clash between the two same two sides only last season.
Elsewhere, the game could also serve as the farewell match for Roosters great Anthony Minichiello — with one of two rival internationals, in Sam Burgess and Sonny Bill Williams, also assured of their final appearance before switching over to rugby union.
Stadium officials remain confident ticket sales will swell later in the week — especially among South Sydney fans whose team is looking to win its first premiership in 43 years. Reigning premiers the Roosters, meanwhile, are looking to achieve what is said to be impossible in the modern game — back-to-back premierships.
And with the Saturday evening final also involving two Sydney teams, Canterbury and Penrith, the NRL will be hoping to break the 100,000 mark across 48 hours at Homebush.
Yet as it stands, the Friday night crowd will be well short of the 74,549 fans who attended this corresponding elimination back, between Parramatta and Canterbury, back in 2009.
Apart from being a big test for the NRL, the weekend could also go some way to determining if Sydney should automatically be granted league’s biggest games.
There is no doubting ANZ Stadium is the perfect venue for blockbuster matches, as evidenced by the 83,421 fans who watched NSW reclaim the State of Origin shield earlier this year.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that the NRL’s finals crowds are up 16 per cent on last year — despite widespread criticism of attendance figures.
Over the opening six games of the final series, there was an average crowd of 23,346 at each one. That figure represents a significant increase on the 20,1555 average for the corresponding fixtures in 2013.
Despite producing two outstanding finals matches — both of which were decided by a point — the Roosters and North Queensland drew only 18,355 to Allianz Stadium while the match between Manly and Canterbury earned attendance figures of 28,186.
Yet the combined total (46,541) was still less than the 48,029 who watched the Sydney Swans beat North Melbourne in their preliminary final at ANZ Stadium.
