Canterbury are anticipating a 70,000-plus crowd to rival their 2009 finals epic against Parramatta after the NRL locked their sudden-death Bulldogs-Panthers semi-final in for next Sunday afternoon at Accor Stadium.

Sources speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely have told this masthead that Canterbury will host the four-time reigning premiers in the family-friendly timeslot. The loser of Sunday’s Canberra-Broncos qualifying final will be on a six-day turnaround against Cronulla next Saturday night.

Scheduling a Sunday afternoon western Sydney showdown presents a lucrative $3.5 million windfall for the NRL and the chance for Canterbury to challenge the 74,549 that turned out for the 2009 Bulldogs-Eels preliminary final, and subsequent 70,000-plus crowds that attend

See Full Page