An NRL spokesman said tickets would go on sale to Newcastle Knights, NSW Rugby League and Queensland Rugby League members at 9am on Monday.

Newcastle Knights members will receive an email with a ticket offer. Tickets will open to the general public on the NRL waitlist at 10am, then ordinary ticket sales will open at 11am.

The match - the third in this year's Origin series - will be held on Wednesday at McDonald Jones Stadium.

The stadium's capacity will be capped at 75 per cent, with up to 20,000 fans allowed to attend.

Asked how many tickets were allocated to Knights members, the NRL spokesman said: "The exact allocations are still being built".

"To ensure your ticket is authentic and will grant you access to Wednesday's game, please only purchase from the venue's authorised ticketing partner - Ticketmaster. You can do that via Nrl.com/tickets or the Ticketmaster website. Tickets purchased from unofficial ticketing sites may not be genuine."

Hunter Business Chamber chief executive Bob Hawes said the chamber hoped the event would also attract people from regions such as "New England and the North Coast".

"It sounds like the government and police are well aware of the potential for there to be sneaky behaviour," Mr Hawes said, referring to the chances of people from Sydney and Central Coast attending.

"We definitely don't want COVID here, but on balance the opportunity far outweighs that risk. We applaud venues where they're not only asking people to QR code, but checking addresses on photo ID. That's the part they've got to get right."

Police are planning an operation for the event, including how to deter people attending from areas subject to COVID lockdowns.

The NRL spokesman said: "Just like the first two Origin games, tickets purchased by a postcode in a hotspot are automatically declared void and refunded."

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