Historic clash just the ticket for Titans No 1 fan
Sold on wild debut
Luke Turgeon
Gold Coast Bulletin
01Feb07
MEET the Titans' No.1 fan. Main Beach civil engineer Brett Dellit is the proud owner of the very first tickets for the Titans' National Rugby League debut against St George Illawarra on March 18.
The tickets for the historic match, which went on sale to the public yesterday, were snapped up quickly with 378 sold in the first three minutes of trading and 5273 moved by the end of the day.
"I am sure there are heaps of people out there who are just as keen as me, but to be that No.1 feels like I am just a little part of something special," said Dellit, 29.
"It is something I will always remember. I will definitely hang on to them after the game and I am sure they will be a bit of a talking point in years to come."
With Titans members having access to tickets since last week, estimates put the total number of tickets sold so far at 20,000, almost half of the 52,500-seat Suncorp Stadium capacity.
As a Titans member, Dellit wasn't about to miss his chance to get in early and be the first.
"I had my finger on the trigger and as soon as they went on sale. I went bang," he said. "I think everyone is a lot more pumped up this time around -- at least everyone I know is.
"I just hope that come round one the Titans are just as pumped up as we are."
Titans managing director Michael Searle said the number of tickets already sold gave him confidence the match would be close to a sell-out.
He said the 'spectacular' pre-match entertainment to launch the Titans into the NRL would rival an 'Olympic-style' introduction.
"Every time you drive down the road and see a Titans jersey or a Titans hat it is a great feeling," said Searle, who put in eight years of hard work to get the Gold Coast back in the NRL.
"I am so happy that everyone has embraced it. It is surreal really."
The Titans originally received some criticism for their decision to move their first NRL clash to Brisbane rather than play on home turf at Gold Coast Stadium.
But Searle said the ticket sales so far had justified the decision.
"If there would have been just 20,000 people at Suncorp, that would still be 3000 more than we could have fitted on the Gold Coast," he said. For me, if we had to lock even one person out I couldn't live with that, given the support we have been shown by Gold Coast people.
"It is about making sure that everyone that wants to go can go."
Tickets for the match are sold through Ticketek with adult prices ranging from $25 through to $43 for gold tickets and $12 to $25 for kids aged between five and 12.
Free public transport to Brisbane from the Gold Coast is included with every ticket purchased.
Tickets are also on sale for the Titans' final pre-season trial match against Penrith at Gold Coast Stadium on March 2.
