NRL targets record-breaking State of Origin crowd for game two in Melbourne
The NRL is targeting a sell-out and record-breaking MCG crowd for State of Origin’s first visit to Melbourne in six years, as a first match in New Zealand also looms in the near future.
Victoria’s historic stadium hosted the series launch on Tuesday, 50 days out from the first match in Sydney on 5 June.
The NRL’s head of elite football, Graham Annesley, said the league was “very confident” the 100,000-capacity ground will be full for game two on 26 June.
“We’re going to be doing everything we can to fill every single seat in the stadium,” he said.
Melbourne first set an Australian rugby league crowd record of more than 87,000 for an Origin game in 1994, and Victorian crowds have been consistent in the past decade. Game two in 2015 attracted 91,513 fans – still the Origin record – and game one in 2018 drew 87,122.
