Fixture 2025 Fixture Discussion

[Grasshopper17]

The NRL leadership are deluded and think that they in a war with the AFL. Seems to me that disappointing people in SE Qld who like both codes is not a great way to treat that segment of your customers.

Bad news for them is that the GABBA will be a sell out with thousands of disappointed people at not being able to attend not matter what the NRL do.

I think there's a massive misunderstanding of the Queensland sporting culture by both the AFL and NRL. Well, certainly the Brisbane sporting culture.

Code wars absolutely are a thing in Sydney. If you like rugby league you hate AFL and vice versa. I was an absolute black sheep in that regard when I lived there, in that I was equally happy going to either code.

But up here, people happily follow either or both. So much so that you may recall the government put on buses from the Gabba to Lang Park for the two Prelim Finals in 2023, given they were both scheduled only a couple of hours apart and overlapped.

It seems to me that the AFL and NRL simply assume that the prevailing vibe in Sydney must be the same as up here, which in my experience could barely be further from the truth.

 

[Big Sauce 21]

I'll happily watch both. What I see with the NRL though is amateur. Consistently late kick offs is mind boggling. They don't run to a schedule.

 

[martinson]

I think there's a massive misunderstanding of the Queensland sporting culture by both the AFL and NRL. Well, certainly the Brisbane sporting culture.

Code wars absolutely are a thing in Sydney. If you like rugby league you hate AFL and vice versa. I was an absolute black sheep in that regard when I lived there, in that I was equally happy going to either code.

But up here, people happily follow either or both. So much so that you may recall the government put on buses from the Gabba to Lang Park for the two Prelim Finals in 2023, given they were both scheduled only a couple of hours apart and overlapped.

It seems to me that the AFL and NRL simply assume that the prevailing vibe in Sydney must be the same as up here, which in my experience could barely be further from the truth.

In my experience in Queensland there's no question it's a rugby state and as far a I can tell that's unlikely to change any time soon. But there's no animosity or derision to anyone who supports or is involved in AFL. Quite the contrary it's a live and let live mindset amongst the fans.

So it's unedifying to see the head honchos of either code going to war on coverage and publicity which is more about inflating their own egos and legacies than doing anything of any overall good for the supporters and those who participate.

It's hasn't remotely occurred to them that you could grow the pie for both with cooperation.

 

[Grasshopper17]

In my experience in Queensland there's no question it's a rugby state and as far a I can tell that's unlikely to change any time soon. But there's no animosity or derision to anyone who supports or is involved in AFL. Quite the contrary it's a live and let live mindset amongst the fans.

So it's unedifying to see the head honchos of either code going to war on coverage and publicity which is more about inflating their own egos and legacies than doing anything of any overall good for the supporters and those who participate.

It's hasn't remotely occurred to them that you could grow the pie for both with cooperation.

The example I like to use is Croatia making the soccer World Cup Final in 2018 with a population of 4 million. There is plenty of room for all our major sports to coexist in this country.

 

[M Malice]

The example I like to use is Croatia making the soccer World Cup Final in 2018 with a population of 4 million. There is plenty of room for all our major sports to coexist in this country.

The AFL has the 4th biggest average crowd attendance to a national sporting league on the planet, only behind the NFL, EPL and Bundesliga... damn good effort by us fans.

 

[mikey127]

I think there's a massive misunderstanding of the Queensland sporting culture by both the AFL and NRL. Well, certainly the Brisbane sporting culture.

Code wars absolutely are a thing in Sydney. If you like rugby league you hate AFL and vice versa. I was an absolute black sheep in that regard when I lived there, in that I was equally happy going to either code.

But up here, people happily follow either or both. So much so that you may recall the government put on buses from the Gabba to Lang Park for the two Prelim Finals in 2023, given they were both scheduled only a couple of hours apart and overlapped.

It seems to me that the AFL and NRL simply assume that the prevailing vibe in Sydney must be the same as up here, which in my experience could barely be further from the truth.

Brisbane pretty much have one team in each code (yes I know there are the Dolphins but not sure they have a big supporter base outside the Redcliffe area. I know people that support Lions, Broncos, Reds, Roar and Bullets keenly.

I'm in Melbourne and whilst AFL is King Storm do really well and are the biggest sporting club in Melbourne outside AFL. When there is say a Saturday afternoon game at the MCG and Storm playing Saturday night at AAMI Park you see plenty of people with both colours on doing the double.