EARLIER this year, 8,824 rugby league fans packed into Carrington Park to watch the Penrith Panthers do battle with the Cronulla Sharks, but when NRL returns to Bathurst in 2015 that number of spectators could dramatically increase.
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It was announced yesterday that the Panthers will take on the Gold Coast Titans at Carrington Park on Saturday, March 14 as the second game in Penrith’s five-year Bathurst deal.
That contest comes much earlier than this year’s July 26 game won by the Sharks 18-16.
“We knew that Penrith wanted an earlier game at Bathurst this time and the main reason is they want to try and get a bit better weather than what happened last time,” Bathurst Panthers president Dennis Comerford said.
“It rained this year, but there is nothing you can do about the weather here in winter.
“But to get a second round game, I think it is going to be pretty good because people are going to be hanging out for a game of footy then.”
The Panthers will face this year’s grand finalists Canterbury in the opening round of the 2015 NRL season, which will kick off on March 5.
They will then venture to Bathurst as one of three NRL games to be played on March 14, the Panthers and Titans set to do battle from 4.30pm.
At that stage of the year the local Group 10 competition will not have kicked off, which will not only make things easier on spectators, but host club Bathurst Panthers.
“It’s great for us. We don’t have to look at having an away game or a bye so council can prepare the ground before the game,” Comerford said.
“It’s a time of year that will really suit Bathurst – it’s in the middle of March, so we will still be in summer conditions.
“People can go along and enjoy it and be more comfortable than they would be sitting at Carrington Park in the middle of winter.
“We will still be in daylight savings times with our 4.30pm kick off and we are the first of three [NRL] games of footy for the day – there’s another one in Sydney and there’s another one in Queensland.”
Comerford believes the timing should bring with it a bigger crowd than this year’s fixture and points to a game staged at Carrington Park two years ago as an indicator of the possible numbers.
“Two years ago in February we had a NSW Cup match here when Penrith came up and played Wests Tigers and we got a crowd of 4,000,” he said.
“To get a crowd that size for a NSW Cup trial game, that just shows that people in this area are starved of footy that time of year and they can’t wait to get out and watch a game.
“There has been no local footy for them to watch, it’s only the second round of the NRL and all the NRL trials have been played all around the country, so this is one of their first chances to go to a game.”
While the Titans are an interstate club, there is a Central West link in their ranks: Orange product Daniel Mortimer. There is even a slight chance that former Bathurst Panther Doug Hewitt could get the nod as he is currently with Gold Coast feeder club Tweed Head Seagulls.
“Fingers crossed we might get to see Dougie Hewitt playing here ... even if he came off the bench it would be great,” Comerford said.
