The Newcastle Knights will host the Canberra Raiders at Wade Park in 29 days time and the initial sales for the event - the first time top flight rugby league will be played at Orange since the 2009 City-Country clash - suggest the crowd figure will be a healthy one come kick-off for the NRL trial.

The 2009 City-Country contest attracted a sell-out crown of 8226, while in 2008, for a NRL trial between Canberra and the Brisbane Broncos, 8500 people packed into Wade Park.

“Ticket sales for next month’s pre-season NRL match are in line with expectations for a month out from the game,” Orange City Council communications officer Allan Reeder said.

“Once the school holidays end and the TV commercial starts to run, sales are expected to jump quickly. 

“There was a jump in sales ahead of Christmas as people put some tickets in their Christmas stockings.”

Reeder predicted the clash to draw spectators from across the region, which would hopefully push the mark past the 6240 fans that attended Bathurst’s Penrith Panthers and Gold Coast Titans regular season match at Carrington Park last year.

He added most of those fans would likely be walk-up ones.

“A game like this will draw league fans from across the region and many won’t decide until the last minute,” he said.

“The Wade Park grandstand seats will be the first to sell-out. There are still some available, but fans would want to be quick so they don’t miss out.

“There’s a lot of interest in this game. Every night on the news the number of league stories is already building as the clubs continue to make their latest signings. The closer we get to start of the season, the more interest in this game will build.”

Tickets are available at the Civic Centre box office or online through Ticketek.

Pricing for general admittance tickets begin at $10, while reserved seating in the grandstand are from $20.

Family passes - two adults and two children, or three children and one adult - are priced from $50.