Fantastic crowd tonight.

The current average is realistically the most we can achieve for a variety of factors.

1. We've now achieved GF and CC success in the modern SL era. Doing this first time around attracts more floating fans, even if similar success was maintained fans become complacent and miss matches.

2. Away teams success and support fluctuates greatly, at any one time you'll have a couple of teams at most who will pack the north stand.

3. A typical match at this exciting time will attract a crowd between 12,500-14,500, a handful of bumper games bring in crowds of 18,000-20,000, resulting in an average around the 16,000 mark.

4. To achieve an 18,000 average we'd need to be getting no fewer than 15,000-16,000 for a regular match, and pretty much sellouts for the Saints, Warrington, Big One, Heritage Day games. To average 20k you'd need a near home sell out every game and 2,000+ away fans.

5. Incentives to increase crowds can only be used for a limited number of games, there comes a point where you will start cutting into season ticket sales and see pay on the day supporters pick and choose these discounted games.

Our current average is the result of fantastic marketing efforts from the club and smooth running on and off the field for a two or three year period. Sport is unpredictable, we're due our success but the SL structure will ensure no one team is dominant, we may also see upheaval at the club with Maguire moving on and a potentially major shake-up of the playing staff, not to mention Sam's uncertain future. All will have knock-on effects for peoples enthusiam to get down to the match.

For the playoffs I wouldn't be suprised to see less than 15,000 on.