TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 20: A general view of the crowd is seen during the round 11 NRL match between the North Queensland Cowboys and the Newcastle Knights at QCB Stadium, on May 20, 2021, in Townsville, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
With Origin I just under a week away, the NRL announced on Thursday morning that the first release of tickets have exhausted within just fifteen minutes of them being open to the public.
According to The Courier Mail, an extra 1,800 seats will be installed to allow more avid punters to watch the opener.
Despite this initial sell-out status, these additional seats are set to go in sale in the near future per reports from Fox League.
With many fans left without passes to the centre piece event due to ticketing issues at the Cowboys' leagues club, this announcement is likely to put smiles on many Townsvilleans' faces.
As stated by The Townsville Bulletin, thousands of fans that lined up at the aforementioned venue on Wednesday morning were left empty-handed and disgruntled following announcements that their efforts were in vain due to a system crash.
“At the moment we’ve just been told the place has been sold out already,” Cowboys member Joe White said.
“I’ve been waiting here for an hour and obviously I’m disappointed because I’ve totally missed out.
“It was a once in a lifetime job for me. At my age it will never happen again.”
The historic clash in North Queensland will kick off on Wednesday 9 June at a packed out Queensland Country Bank Stadium.