This promises to be a contest between two teams who will be competing to see who finishes lower in the NRL table.

The event is so popular that not only are fans producing T-shirts and fake trophies to celebrate the match, but Campbelltown Stadium, pubs and houses across western Sydney are expected to be packed on Friday night.

“All tickets are sold out from Monday,” Fox League’s James Hooper told NRL 360 on Wednesday night.

“People are planning pub parties all over Western Sydney. There is a real excitement around the game.

“It means a hell of a lot to Wests Tigers because it means they’re not collecting three straight wooden spoons. The last club to do that was Newcastle and we’ve seen how long it’s taken them to get back on their feet.

“The Eels also need to show signs of life as their leaders are currently under a lot of pressure and face tough questions.”

It’s not just fans celebrating the occasion. Tigers captain Api Koroisau told media during the week that he was looking forward to the competition.

“I love it. It adds a little bit of novelty at the end of the year and sometimes you just come here and there’s nothing to take, but you know, for us it’s pretty important,” Koroisau said.

“We don’t want to be last.”

For the Wests Tigers, a win would ensure they avoid a third successive wooden spoon, while for the Eels, who have a grand final appearance in 2022, a win would ensure they avoid a first wooden spoon since 2018.

The Eels last played in the Spoon Bowl in 2011, when they faced the Gold Coast Titans in the final round of the season, with the winner of that match avoiding the worst honour in rugby league history.

Parramatta snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating the Gold Coast Titans 32-12 to avoid the Wooden Spoon and will be looking for a similar result this weekend.

Nathan Hindmarsh, the Eels captain during their 2011 Spoon Bowl victory over the Titans, described Friday’s upcoming match as “the most exciting Spoon game I’ve ever seen”.

Speaking on Sunday Night with Matty Johns, Hindmarsh added: “Totally seriously, nobody wants to get Spoon!”

“It’s an important match for both sides. And both sides will go out there doing everything they can to not finish last. Nobody wants to finish last.”