League: Sellout possible for Warriors opener

The capacity at Mt Smart Stadium is now just over 23,000.

It looks like the big crowd at the New Zealand Warriors' pre-season trial game against the Cowboys last month was a portent of things to come.

The Warriors' National Rugby League season opener against Parramatta tomorrow night is on course to being a rare sellout at Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium.

At the start of today, more than 16,500 tickets had gone, leaving just 6500 still available.

The removal of some seats after the end of last season means capacity at the ground has been reduced to about 23,200.

Chief executive Wayne Scurrah said fans wanting tickets should get in early rather than be disappointed as missing out.

"If the weather is good, it looks like we'll be on target to sell out, which would be a fantastic way to start the year," he said.

"We'd love to see that happen, especially with Steve Price playing his 300th first-grade match."

Skipper Price will become the 11th player in the competition's 101 years to reach the 300 mark when he leads the Warriors out against the Eels.

The only time Mt Smart Stadium has sold out for the first home game of the season was on March 10, 1995, when the-then Auckland Warriors made their debut in the NRL.

That night, 29,220 turned up to see Brisbane pip the Warriors 25-22.

- NZPA