Ahead of tomorrow morning’s Super League fixture launch, we’ve examined the five best-attended games of 2024 in order to be able to quickly pick out the games that could be set for monster crowds in 2025.
Of course, there are always obvious games that fans will look out such as their first and last home games of the season, a possible Catalans away trip, and when they play host to their nearest and dearest rivals.
But, what of the games that draw the biggest crowds? Often, there is crossover and they will be the derby matches anyway, but we’ve looked back at the five best-attended matches of the 2024 Super League season with one eye looking towards tomorrow morning’s fixture launch.
The five best-attended Super League games in 2024
5: Wigan Warriors versus Hull KR (Round 25) – 16,719
Credit: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
This was the game that effectively decided the League Leaders Shield and one of the best games of the season at that. Hull KR were the better team when the sides were at 13 men a piece but two sin bins proved costly as the Robins shipped four tries when down to 12 men.
4: Leeds Rhinos versus Leigh Leopards (Round 15) – 17,535
This game was always slated to be Leeds Rhinos’ MND Awareness round, however, it also came as the first home game after the sad passing of Rob Burrow earlier in the month. In an atmospheric and emotional Headingley, Brodie Croft put on a show as the home side won under interim coach Chev Walker.
3: St Helens versus Wigan Warriors (Round Six) – 17,980
St Helens ended Wigan Warriors’ 15-match winning run in Super League back on Good Friday in a feisty affair that saw Tyler Dupree sent to the sin bin early on. A moment of Bevan French brilliance marked the first try of the game but Saints would come back to win and go top of Super League thanks to tries from Tommy Makinson and Konrad Hurrell.
2: Hull FC versus Hull KR (Round One) – 20,014
Credit: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
The season opener set its stall out as the game to beat in terms of attendance and it led the way for the majority of the Super League season. Over 20,000 turned up at the MKM Stadium and by half time, the vast majority of those would have been wishing they hadn’t. KR raced into a 14-0 lead before winning 22-0 with Peta Hiku’s kicking display saving face for Hull FC.
1: Wigan Warriors versus St Helens (Round 17) – 20,154
After Saints beat them in Round Six to end their winning streak, Wigan Warriors were out for vengeance in Round 17 and that’s what they got as they beat Paul Wellens’ side 16-12 in front of the largest crowd of the regular season. An attendance figure of 20,154 was recorded for the game, over 5,000 more than the figure for England’s first Test against Samoa at the same venue.
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