BOTH the Penrith Panthers and Bathurst Regional Council seemed to have learned from their mistakes.

The best news to come out of yesterday’s announcement that the Panthers would meet the Canberra Raiders in a Round 9 NRL clash on April 30 next year in Bathurst was confirmation that the Panthers would be bringing their squad to town several days before the match.

That will give the league stars the chance to join in a number of school visits and community coaching clinics in the lead-up to the match, and while that might not be the players’ idea of fun, it is those visits that will guarantee a few thousand extra ticket sales on game day.

There were a number of reasons this year’s NRL match at Carrington Park attracted only 6240 fans, but the late arrival of the teams less than 24 hours before kick-off was a major one.

No school visits or coaching clinics until the day after the match robbed the promoters – Bathurst Regional Council – of the opportunity to really build excitement around the city and left many residents unaware of the match at all.

Council would say nothing publicly, but you can be sure they were unimpressed that the Panthers did not seem as committed to promoting the match as they were. That won’t be the case in 2016 and council will reap the benefits at the gate.

The timing of next year’s clash should also help boost numbers. By Round 9, Bathurst is well and truly gripped by league fever and the chance to see some top-line action in our own backyard should ensure a healthy crowd.

Now we just need a bright autumn day and all our NRL stars will have aligned. Bring it on.