Administration - The AFL v NRL *Moderator Approved* - Rules in OP

[Sydney Bloods]

I honestly didn't even know who he was...

Really? Slightly embarrassing if the NRL hold literally a no-name dud player at a bottom club up as a trophy in comparison to the names of Hunt and Folau I'd have thought - highlights their inferiority complex. Anyway if a dud AFL player plays well in the NRL it certainly ain't a great look for the NRL when their stars turned out be massive duds in the AFL...

Interesting to see how he goes, wish him luck I guess.

he'll be a dud, penrith are tight on cap space, rumour has it that Idris is moving on so they need a body.
there's no way he'd get a spot at any other club right now. I find it funny that even league unlimited found it hard to talk up this no name.

although if you read there crap supposedly he grew up playing league has good hands, good speed and awareness and has the right body:
1.97M, 87Kg's.............. this will not end well, Only two outcomes ASADA or an ambulance. FFS as if penrith didn't have enough injury problems along comes gus and he signs a beanstalk.

of course gus famously cracked the shits a few years ago when the AFL was mentioned on a tv show he hosting, he walked out live on air. I wouldn't put it past him to recruit this guy solely with the intention of having him killed in front of 11,000 people.

 

[Experimental]

I wouldn't put it past him to recruit this guy solely with the intention of having him killed in front of 11,000 people.

11k is a bit generous.

 

[The_Wookie]

 

[Experimental]

27k @ the Sharks vs. Rabbitohs game. Is it always that low? That seems so tiny considering the Rabbitohs have one of the biggest membership totals in the league, and are the current premiers.

 

[The_Wookie]

27k @ the Sharks vs. Rabbitohs game. Is it always that low? That seems so tiny considering the Rabbitohs have one of the biggest membership totals in the league, and are the current premiers.

Seems to be farily representative of its week 1 finals crowds in recent years.

• 2014 - Souths pulled 25k on the Friday night against Manly in Week 1 last year at the SFS.
• 2013 - Souths pulled 21k on the Friday night againt Melbourne in Week 1 at Stadium Australia. (only 2k more than the week 1 game pulled on a Saturday night at the MRS in 2012.

Souths membership/attendance correlation might be an interesting one to put together I think.

 

[Experimental]

Seems to be farily representative of its week 1 finals crowds in recent years.

• 2014 - Souths pulled 25k on the Friday night against Manly in Week 1 last year at the SFS.
• 2013 - Souths pulled 21k on the Friday night againt Melbourne in Week 1 at Stadium Australia. (only 2k more than the week 1 game pulled on a Saturday night at the MRS in 2012.

Souths membership/attendance correlation might be an interesting one to put together I think.

Strange. I know the AFL has enormous attendance figures in comparison with general population, but if the figures you've written are indicative of 'normal' for rugby league, then **** me, AFL really has it good!

 

[The_Wookie]

Strange. I know the AFL has enormous attendance figures in comparison with general population, but if the figures you've written are indicative of 'normal' for rugby league, then **** me, AFL really has it good!

bear in mind too that this was a Cronulla home game, and im not sure of the interaction with Souths away crowds. Im not in Sydney, and the figures dont always tell the full story. from looking at other forums though Souths attendances are something of a joke compared to its memberships.

The AFL has made a point this year of saying that Crowds matter, its not always about ratings, although ratings are important. New stadiums and upgrades coming online regularly (kardinia park, adelaide oval, perth oval) all help keep the crowds coming in. New stadiums in sydney might be what the doctor ordered for NRL attendances - a roof over at least one of those stadiums would at least prevent weather from being an excuse.

 

[papabear]

souths/cronulla home game didnt matter, the sfs was there old home ground, right near redfern, whereas cronulla have never played home matches out of the shire. Souths support isnt as big as their comparative membership suggests, they are just far better at flogging memberships off then other clubs.


There was more cronulla fans there then souths fans, and cronulla are one of the least supported sydney clubs outside of manly/penrith.

 

[MisterMarcus]

I'm not sure if this belongs here, but just a personal observation.

I'm just back from a road trip to Queensland. I noted that AFL had a reasonable presence at many of the NSW and Qld country towns I passed through. While the rugby codes were obviously predominant in most places, there was certainly no hostility to AFL. Many of the local pubs and clubs were advertising "Live NRL and AFL action" on their big screens, there were signs for local AFL teams and leagues, etc etc. There was pretty strong coverage in the local media in Brisbane and the Gold Coast too, especially considering both teams have had ordinary seasons and are finished for the year.

The claim from NRL fans is that AFL is dead north of the border, no support or presence, wasting money on people that don't care about the sport at all, and so on. But that didn't seem to be the case where I went.

 

[Experimental]

I'm not sure if this belongs here, but just a personal observation.

I'm just back from a road trip to Queensland. I noted that AFL had a reasonable presence at many of the NSW and Qld country towns I passed through. While the rugby codes were obviously predominant in most places, there was certainly no hostility to AFL. Many of the local pubs and clubs were advertising "Live NRL and AFL action" on their big screens, there were signs for local AFL teams and leagues, etc etc. There was pretty strong coverage in the local media in Brisbane and the Gold Coast too, especially considering both teams have had ordinary seasons and are finished for the year.

The claim from NRL fans is that AFL is dead north of the border, no support or presence, wasting money on people that don't care about the sport at all, and so on. But that didn't seem to be the case where I went.

I was out getting groceries today in Ipswich (NRL heartland), and there was a bloke walking around in a Broncos shirt but had an Essendon cap. Obviously loved both codes, and I notice AFL club bumper stickers everywhere too. Lots of Brisbane Lions personalised plates around as well.

Definitely not dead north of the border, that's for sure. I'd say merely closeted.

 

[HavUEvaSeenTheRain]

I'm not sure if this belongs here, but just a personal observation.

I'm just back from a road trip to Queensland. I noted that AFL had a reasonable presence at many of the NSW and Qld country towns I passed through. While the rugby codes were obviously predominant in most places, there was certainly no hostility to AFL. Many of the local pubs and clubs were advertising "Live NRL and AFL action" on their big screens, there were signs for local AFL teams and leagues, etc etc. There was pretty strong coverage in the local media in Brisbane and the Gold Coast too, especially considering both teams have had ordinary seasons and are finished for the year.

The claim from NRL fans is that AFL is dead north of the border, no support or presence, wasting money on people that don't care about the sport at all, and so on. But that didn't seem to be the case where I went.

If you get away from bigfooty forums you soon realise there are plenty of people who watch and enjoy more then one code of sport and people are much better off for it

 

[The_Wookie]

AFL


NRL

Metro Graphs only. The data at hand is relatively inconsistent for previous years, and not suitable for comparison purposes.

 

[1873 United]

The crowd comparator is what probably gives the best indication as to the reach of each sport. Outside of the crowd in Brisbane, the NRL crowds are fairly disappointing, whilst I think the AFL may have also hoped for a few more at the Saturday night shootout.

 

[Prince Imperial]

The crowd comparator is what probably gives the best indication as to the reach of each sport. Outside of the crowd in Brisbane, the NRL crowds are fairly disappointing, whilst I think the AFL may have also hoped for a few more at the Saturday night shootout.

Really? I think the League would have been delighted with the 60k crowd. It was about 10-15k more than I expected and a great turnout from the supporters of both clubs. There was a huge game the following day that many neutrals (i.e. AFL and MCC members) would have attended instead.

 

[Marley10]

I'm new to this whole NRL thing, but I don't understand why crowds are so low in Sydney. Apparently Bulldogs and Dragons are 2 of the biggest clubs in the NRL. How do they draw only 33K to an EF at ANZ?

Bulldogs, arguably the smallest Melbourne club, drew 60K vs an interstate team in Adelaide.

 

[Marley10]

Also, why are the NRL so bad at advertising the game in markets outside NSW and QLD? The Sydneysiders I know can at least tell me the big AFL clubs and some rivalries. Or how much a goal and a behind is. They have some billboards promoting AFL there. I couldn't tell you how much a try is worth.

There is a huge opportunity to sell NRL to the Melbourne public next week when Melbourne play in a preliminary final. All 4 big Melbourne clubs are out of the finals race (3 of them having horror seasons). Both AFL prelims are in Perth, so why not move the game to the MCG? It could end up being Fremantle vs Adelaide and West Coast vs Sydney, diminishing the interest of Victorians.

If the Melbourne prelim was at the MCG, I would surely look at going. In fact, many would. I've never been to an NRL game before (in fact, I've never really watched a full game), but I would surely be interested considering it is the Melbourne team possibly hosting North Queensland (would've been bigger had it have been the Broncos). I'm sure that many in Melbourne wouldn't mind another game at the G. If the Origin drew 91K, surely you would look at using the MCG when you can.

Instead, most Melburnians wouldn't know that the Storms are in a prelim let alone attending the game. Very little advertising and exposure happening.

 

[Aucklander]

It's an interesting debate the AAMI v MCG one, although I seriously doubt the MCG would like a game of RL on it a week out from the GF.

I think a half full MCG or 3/4 full Etihad wouldn't compare to a packed out AAMI which I reckon will happen.

 

[The_Wookie]

Also, why are the NRL so bad at advertising the game in markets outside NSW and QLD? The Sydneysiders I know can at least tell me the big AFL clubs and some rivalries. Or how much a goal and a behind is. They have some billboards promoting AFL there. I couldn't tell you how much a try is worth.

There is a huge opportunity to sell NRL to the Melbourne public next week when Melbourne play in a preliminary final. All 4 big Melbourne clubs are out of the finals race (3 of them having horror seasons). Both AFL prelims are in Perth, so why not move the game to the MCG? It could end up being Fremantle vs Adelaide and West Coast vs Sydney, diminishing the interest of Victorians.

If the Melbourne prelim was at the MCG, I would surely look at going. In fact, many would. I've never been to an NRL game before (in fact, I've never really watched a full game), but I would surely be interested considering it is the Melbourne team possibly hosting North Queensland (would've been bigger had it have been the Broncos). I'm sure that many in Melbourne wouldn't mind another game at the G. If the Origin drew 91K, surely you would look at using the MCG when you can.

Instead, most Melburnians wouldn't know that the Storms are in a prelim let alone attending the game. Very little advertising and exposure happening.

Agree on this a little. Using the MCG for this would send a very public message to the Melbourne public, especially if tickets were priced right. Sure, its not the perfect shape, and its huge, but its THE place to go for major sport in Victoria, and its not every year the G is free in footy season.

That said, I can see why they keep it at the Aami park.

 

[Marley10]

It's an interesting debate the AAMI v MCG one, although I seriously doubt the MCG would like a game of RL on it a week out from the GF.

I think a half full MCG or 3/4 full Etihad wouldn't compare to a packed out AAMI which I reckon will happen.

Yes, but neutrals like me wouldn't ever go to an NRL match at AAMI Park. A sold out AAMI park won't appeal to Melburnians as much as a bigger crowd at the MCG, since a 28K crowd is nothing special to us.

I understand that home ground advantage is important, but if you want to grow the game in Melbourne, surely you would look at appealing to the Melbourne public. I couldn't think of a better time. No Melbourne preliminary final. All big Melbourne clubs completely out of it. Probably the least interesting Preliminary final match ups for Victorians in a while and yet, next to no advertisements in Melbourne? I wouldn't be surprised if sport loving Victorians have no clue that Melbourne is playing in a preliminary final.

 

[Marley10]

I think that's the difference between NRL and AFL. The AFL always look to appeal to the Sydney market. The NRL however do hardly anything to grow the game in Melbourne. We can criticise the long term viability of GWS, but at least the AFL are being bold in their attempts to engage Sydneysiders. Not even attempting to move the prelim to a vacant MCG really shows the NRL's lack of interest in engaging the Melbourne public.

The AFL have nation wide campaigns, like the McDonalds win a sherrin thing. I would say that the A-league do a better job in Melbourne than the NRL has. Victory are already bigger than the Storms. City is now heading the same path, probably as soon as the next two years.

This puts the Storm behind:

Collingwood
Essendon
Richmond
Carlton
Hawthorn
Melbourne
North Melbourne
St Kilda
Bulldogs
Geelong
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne City (soon to be)

In comparison, the Swans are ahead of many Sydney-based NRL teams in terms of memberships and attendances, as well as the two A-league teams in SFC and WSW. Even the Giants are heading there as well.

 

[Aucklander]

Agree on this a little. Using the MCG for this would send a very public message to the Melbourne public, especially if tickets were priced right. Sure, its not the perfect shape, and its huge, but its THE place to go for major sport in Victoria, and its not every year the G is free in footy season.

That said, I can see why they keep it at the Aami park.

There is 0 chance of Rugby league being allowed to be played a week out from the biggest day in the AFL year, plus there would most likely need to be a Holden Cup game played too. Just won't happen.

AAMI is a great venue which has a great atmosphere when filled and the game will lose nothing playing it there.

 

[The_Wookie]

There is 0 chance of Rugby league being allowed to be played a week out from the biggest day in the AFL year, plus there would most likely need to be a Holden Cup game played too. Just won't happen.

AAMI is a great venue which has a great atmosphere when filled and the game will lose nothing playing it there.

I wouldnt say zero. the Victorian government has had a habit lately of scheduling things when it believes the AFL is underusing the MCG. See an unprecedented three weeks of soccer matches mid AFL season. AFL exclusivity doesnt hold if the league isnt using the stadium - the league get a priorty yes, but only to a point. Allowing other events to be held during the period traditionally allotted to the AFL was part of the renegotiation that allowed the AFL to play prelims and finals outside Victoria in the first place.

Im not saying that selling out Aami park and having the sold out atmosphere isnt good if thats all you are aiming for. But publicity for league in victoria is hard to come by as it is, and this would have guaranteed it, not to mention opening up the game to more people. Its small time thinking from the NRL (and the FFA when they had a chance). The least you can do is try.

 

[Oneiros]

From attending a few NRL games at Perth Oval (nib stadium, actually rectangular) from sidelines and behind goals, and attending Wallabies at Subiaco a couple times, in my opinion it is difficult to overstate what you lose going to an oval stadium. It really is a bedevilled choice.

 

[The_Wookie]

From attending a few NRL games at Perth Oval (nib stadium, actually rectangular) from sidelines and behind goals, and attending Wallabies at Subiaco a couple times, in my opinion it is difficult to overstate what you lose going to an oval stadium. It really is a bedevilled choice.

Oh I get that, but Im not sure thats not surpassed by playing on the MCG itself. Theres a reason its THE stadium in Victoria. Its not just Melbournes version of Stadium Australia.

 

[Aucklander]

I wouldnt say zero. the Victorian government has had a habit lately of scheduling things when it believes the AFL is underusing the MCG. See an unprecedented three weeks of soccer matches mid AFL season. AFL exclusivity doesnt hold if the league isnt using the stadium - the league get a priorty yes, but only to a point. Allowing other events to be held during the period traditionally allotted to the AFL was part of the renegotiation that allowed the AFL to play prelims and finals outside Victoria in the first place.

Im not saying that selling out Aami park and having the sold out atmosphere isnt good if thats all you are aiming for. But publicity for league in victoria is hard to come by as it is, and this would have guaranteed it, not to mention opening up the game to more people. Its small time thinking from the NRL (and the FFA when they had a chance). The least you can do is try.

Do you honestly think 2 games of Rugby league would be allowed to be played a week before the AFL Grand Final?