NEWCASTLE Knights and Cronulla Sharks will battle it out this weekend in Maitland - but don't worry it's not too late to grab your ticket.
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The Sharks and Knights are set to come together at Maitland No.1 Sportsground on Saturday - less than two weeks before the same two teams kick off their seasons with a first round clash at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle.
Mayor Loretta Baker said she was excited to welcome thousands of footy fans to the newly renovated sports facility.
"It's the second time that we've had a pre-season match in Maitland," she said.
"I can already feel the excitement building up. It's great for the city and our visitor economy. We have a beautiful new facility.
"How lucky are we? We have this great event in our city but also we want to see lots of visitors coming in."
In February 2018, Maitland City Council hosted its first trial match between the Newcastle Knights and Parramatta Eels - which saw more than 6500 footy fans flock to the sportsground.
Maitland City Council events officer Portia Wendt said event organisers were hoping to match the same figure.
"This is top quality A grade football that's on our doorstep," she said.
"Maitland is a proud sporting community … we are certainly hoping we will hit the same figure again."
Gates will open at 8.45am with five pre-games including junior teams and women's cup with the main event beginning at 5.30pm.
"The grandstand is sold out but we still have tickets available around the ground," Ms Wendt said.
"People can expect a good family day. There's a jumping castle and face painting for kids. At the end of the game, the kids will also receive a mini football and they can have a play on the pitch."
General admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. Kids’ tickets cannot be purchased separately and will need to be bought with adult tickets.
For those die hard fans, there will be an open-to-the-public Captain's Run on Friday from 10am at the ground.
Tickets can be bought at the gate or via maitlandevents.com.au/tickets.