WHEN looking at the Dragons playing schedule at the start of the season, Kickoff thought the 6.30pm time slot was a recipe for large TV audiences and empty stadiums.
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Those fears appeared to be confirmed when a crowd of just 7,283 people turned up the Dragons’ round one clash with Penrith. Granted the weather was miserable and fans may well have read too much into form guides that painted the Panthers as title favourites and the Dragons as spoon contenders.
The Dragons next two games in that time slot attracted very healthy crowds. Their round two clash with Parramatta saw 16,023 people pack WIN Stadium, the biggest crowd at the venue for an NRL match since round 10, 2013, while Sunday’s clash with the Sharks a Southern Cross Group Stadium attracted almost 15,000 people.
It will be interesting to see how many people turn up at Koagarah on Sunday when the Dragons take on the out-of-town Warriors, but the Sunday evening slot may well prove more crowd-friendly than first thought.