Spectators fewer than hoped for

Warriors fans at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Friday night. Photo: Peter McIntosh
Warriors fans at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Friday night. Photo: Peter McIntosh
Attendance at the NRL match between  Canterbury Bulldogs and  New Zealand Warriors was below what was hoped for but the night has been deemed a success.

A crowd of 10,523  gathered at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Friday night to watch the Bulldogs win  24-12.

It was a home game for the Bulldogs, and although Bulldogs chief executive Raelene Castle described sales  as soft, the crowd was loud and seemed to enjoy themselves.

DVML marketing and communications manager Kim Barnes said the crowd was not as large as hoped for, but those  who did turn up had a great time.

The stadium opened the south stand, the western stand and the lower tier of the north stand.

DVML had put a proposal to the Bulldogs — described by Castle as competitive — to host the game but it was unclear whether either side  made money from the venture.

Barnes could not comment on whether further NRL games were likely for Forsyth Barr Stadium.

The Warriors had a pre-season match against the Broncos in 2013 and about 15,000 turned out. The following year, a crowd of 6000 watched the same two sides do battle.

Many said a proper NRL game should get big support.

With nine NRL clubs in the greater Sydney area, clubs are always keen to move games around, especially matches against the Warriors, which  usually do not draw a big crowd across the Tasman.

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