Melbourne Rebels winger Andrew Kellaway admits he is excited about the prospect of playing in front of a home-crowd during Super Round
Tickets for the three-day event have gone on sale today to the general public, with all six games set to be played at AAMI Park between April 22-24.
Get your tickets for the historic Super Round in Melbourne
After spending the best part of two years on the road, the Melbourne Rugby community has been starved of Super Rugby action, with Super Round the perfect remedy according to Kellaway.
The Wallaby got a first-hand experience of what to expect through the Rugby Championship and suggests the prospect of double and triple headers will only help create an exciting atmosphere.
“I think it’s twofold. I think the value for us hosting something like Super Round, we spent the best part of two years away from our home at AAMI Park playing all over the park. Home ground advantage is such a big thing in sport and that’s no different for us so we’re pumped to get back home,” Kellaway told Rugby.com.au.
“It’s two-fold in the way that Rugby in Victoria really benefiting from the exposure a Super Round will provide but also simply the spectacle of being able to watch world-class football and hopefully just enjoy.
“We got to experience a couple of doubleheaders (in the Rugby Championship). Up in Townsville was the pick of the bunch for me, I think the crowd was fantastic for the entire night.
“I think those back-to-back games gives you a combination of all different fans obviously, not just necessary Rebels or whoever we may be playing. You get Highlanders, Chiefs, Waratahs fans, all the people coming out and that adds to the atmosphere of each game as it happens.”
The Super Round was forced to move back nearly two months as a result of ongoing border controls across the Tasman.
However, this has created a unique opportunity, aligning it with the ANZAC weekend and marking the first opportunity for the Australian and NZ teams to face off in the Pacific competition.
“ANZAC Round is massive here in Australia…it’s huge and (you) don’t really need to look far for motivation to be ANZAC inspired,” Kellaway believes.
“I’ve played in a few ANZAC games in the past and they are fantastic occasions. If I get the chance to get a crack in another game, I’ll be pumped and super proud.”
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Kellaway made his return to Rebels training in January, keen to build off his short stint with the club in 2021 after returning home midway through Trans-Tasman.
He instantly recognised the growth in their younger stars as they look to build under Kevin Foote.
“I’ve been back for a couple of weeks now but it’s been good…the most exciting thing for me is obviously missing the back end of last season coming right into the end is seeing the growth in some of the younger guys,” he added.
“I think you have a couple of young guys there, particularly Carter Gordon, Glen Vaihu who have used last year as a real learning curve and pushing themselves now into being regular Super Rugby starters.
“There’s no excuses or hiding behind any youth, they’re really putting themselves under pressure to become a successful team which is led by Matt To’omua, Reece Hodge, Jordy Uelese who have been around the group and steering them into the right direction.”
