The crowd will be capped at 5,800 for Saturday's game, which is under the record low of 6,240 that rolled through the Carrington Park gates to watch 2015's bloodbath, in which the Panthers hammered the Gold Coast by 40 points.

The crowd restrictions are part of a mandatory COVID-safe plan, which will also include signing in with QR codes as has become customary across the state.

"Attendance at the NRL is in accordance with NSW Health guidelines based on one person per two square metre rule, with a capacity at Carrington Park of 5,800," Bathurst mayor Bobby Burke said.

"A COVID-safe plan is in place for the event and patrons will be required to sign in with a QR code when they arrive at Carrington Park."

The record attendance for an NRL game at Carrington Park sits at almost 11,000, that was the last time the city hosted a game in 2019, with the Melbourne Storm defeating Penrith 32-2 in freezing conditions.

The final allocation of tickets for Saturday's game were released late last week, all of which were snapped up in next to no time.

With restrictions in place, the crowd at Bathurst will be similar to that at Mudgee just over a week ago, with a tick over 6,000 rolling into Glen Willow Sporting Complex to see Manly thump the Gold Coast.

Dubbo MP and NRL Regional Taskforce chairman Dugald Saunders says he's expecting more fans to attend South Sydney's blockbuster showdown with Penrith at Dubbo's Apex Oval on May 23.

Penrith is the form team of the NRL at the moment having run through the opening seven rounds of the 2021 season without suffering defeat, as such the men in black are an undeniable drawcard at the moment.

They face a Manly side which has, somewhat remarkably, turned its fortunes around in recent weeks after star fullback Tom Trbojevic returned from injury.

A month ago fans may have though this Saturday's match would be a walkover for Panthers - Penrith did defeat Manly 46-6 back on April 1 - but a run of three consecutive wins for the Sea Eagles has the match looming as a potential blockbuster.

The NRL match will be the main act of three games, with the NSW Cup clash between Penrith and Blacktown Workers and the Group 10 match between Bathurst Panthers and Orange CYMS to be played beforehand.

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