Geelong v Hawthorn. Time to move it to ANZAC Day

[Hawkk]

Would you kindly quote examples of Hawks V Cats outdrawing non Anzac Pies V Bombers while one or other club is consistently struggling?

If you can't ( and of course as you well know it can't be done ) you are simply quoting a match up of teams which are coincieentally up and about and trying to pretend that is a par score. Transparent mate..transparent.

Blue V Bombers easily outdrew the Hawk V Geelong game as any Big 4 clash would in like for like situation. Everyone, you included, knows this.

Good of you to bring Richmond into the conversation without using them as a point of reference

I guess Carlton/Richmond or Essendon/Richmond would be a perfect example of this?

 

[McOrist]

Why would people bother going along to see Geelong win every Anzac Day? At least Essendon can beat Collingwood on the odd occasion!

 

[ManWithNoName]

I'm not sure I understand this?

Are you actually suggesting that 73,500 (without the series ticket buffer) is a poor crowd given that inclement weather conditions (7 degrees, swirling winds and raining on and off throughout the day)

The fact that the same fixture earlier this season during the DAY (the day after the ANZAC Day in fact) drew 78,500 I guess is beside the point

78,500 on a public holiday with both sides competing for top 4.

85-90k over the last few years with one of the sides being completely and utterly incompetent.

Not even a contest.

 

[Air_Chester]

I guess Carlton/Richmond or Essendon/Richmond would be a perfect example of this?

To be fair, if Richmond played Sunday against either Carlton or Essendon the game would have drawn even higher. Been a long time between drinks, wouldn't have been a spare seat in the house (read: Upper MCC).

 

[hk89]

Would you kindly quote examples of Hawks V Cats outdrawing non Anzac Pies V Bombers while one or other club is consistently struggling?

2009? You'll have to be more specific on what you mean by 'struggling', do you mean by Hawthorn standards, or do you mean Richmond-struggling, which is a whole different level of struggling?

Blue V Bombers easily outdrew the Hawk V Geelong game as any Big 4 clash would in like for like situation. Everyone, you included, knows this.

Yes, in like for like situations that would probably be true, but realistically how long is it since the top 4 have consistently all been "not struggling"? Richmond in particular make it hard to get a like-for-like comparison with all the top 4 and Hawthorn and Geelong over recent years. And "recent" is the whole point here, recently the ANZAC day clash games themselves have been lacklustre. There is little doubt that Cats vs Hawks clashes would have made for much more interesting games over the last few years, and extrapolating out the pies vs bombers ANZAC day to non-ANZAC day crowds would have drawn equivalent , if not greater crowds (given recent cats v hawks games are often listed by neutral supporters as their favourite games not involving their own club over the last few years, so would not only gather the extra ANZAC day crowd, but also a larger share of neutral fan interest). However I also think it would be silly to just swap one pair of teams for another, as I've already mentioned in more than one post (the bits you decided not to quote), this would be silly for exactly the reason you mention - form fluctuates. Also along with form fluctuations, rivalry levels can also ebb and flow (cats vs hawks is at a peak now relative to say mid to late 90s for example). If any change was to be made, the AFL should consider rotating the ANZAC day clash, that way they could schedule games on the day that are more likely to have some spark. It is the day itself which holds the aura, there is no reason it needs to be as tightly attached to two particular teams as it is right now.

 

[Partridge]

What happens when those two teams head to the bottom of the ladder?

You might want to check the ladder positions of Collingwood and Essendon over the last 15 years before saying that. Let's just say they haven't exactly been 1 and 2 on the ladder the whole time. If at all.

 

[calyam]

You might want to check the ladder positions of Collingwood and Essendon over the last 15 years before saying that. Let's just say they haven't exactly been 1 and 2 on the ladder the whole time. If at all.

I think the point is that Essendon and Collingwood draw large crowds regardless of position. You can count on one hand the number of match ups that can say that and Geelong vs Hawthorn is not one of them.

 

[fishardansin]

At the end of the day Sheedy, as a representative of the Essendon football club, set the day up with the support of Collingwood and Ruxton. You can argue till you're blue in the face but there is no way that Collingwood or Essendon will give up the day. If it was lost in some strange parallel universe then it wouldn't be to a small club like Hawthorn that inflates its membership numbers with 10k from Tasmania and I suspect many extra ones bought by supporters. Carlton would be the only other club that could regularly pull numbers like Essendon and Collingwood, no matter what their position on the ladder is.

Late season figures are meaningless over the last 8 years as Essendon and Carlton have been rubbish for most of that time. Look at early season figures while bomber and blue supporters have been sucked in with a false sense of optimism.

No need to take it personally but Hawthorn haven't been a relevant club for longer then 50 years. The big three have rivalries and hatred that extends back over 100 years. Richmond is the only other club that could become an elite drawing club like that. They have just been consistent rubbish for 30 years now.

 

[dave10]

You have pulled out the 7 games post the 08GF, that coincide with a fierce rivalry between Geel and Hawthorn where both teams are up and about and the games are close....yet you guys still only avg 71K, the only game to break 70K was this years Easter Monday PUBLIC HOLIDAY game and a final.

The last 5 Coll v Geel games have had crowds of 88K, 84K, 95K (PF), 81K, 85K...much bigger than the Haw v Geel crowds and with no public holiday to inflate the numbers

Essendon have been a rabble of late in recent seasons...if they were going ok the crowds would be enormous, hence why the return game has dropped off to 60K or so.

Pies v Carl 5 of the last 6 games have cracked 80K with the avg being more than 83K...imagine if Coll and Carl or Ess were playing in GFs and other big finals....the crowds would be pushing 90K+ every game

ANZAC day adds 10K tops to the crowd when the teams are struggling...if both tracking well the game would get 85K+ early in the year anyway

Geel v Haw cant get 80K when both teams are at the top of their game, premiership fav's, a brilliant sunny day, and just 3 years after a GF clash....

Coll v Melb = Geel v Haw!

Couldn't have captured it any better than that.. Ess V Carlton - sell out. Haw V Geelong - 15,000 spare tickets. That's the end of it.

 

[dave10]

Good of you to bring Richmond into the conversation without using them as a point of reference

I guess Carlton/Richmond or Essendon/Richmond would be a perfect example of this?

Both these combinations would draw 85,000+ in the same circumstances as Ess V Carlton did on Sunday. Haw V Geel wouldn't. Gee, Ess V Richmond drew 83,000 earlier this year when both teams were playing good football. This was a very strong taste of what these games will draw when they are up the top of the ladder where Haw and Geel are currently.

 

[Pie eyed]

Hawthorn and Geelong can play on Anzac day, alternately at Kardinia Park and Launceston.

Can't see any problem having two games on the day.

Probably would not end up being telecast though.

 

[rhys_22]

This is a joke right??

The greatest rivalry is carlton and collingwood,not geelong and hawthorn.

We absolutely despise eachother,Always have too,not just for 50 years either.

But what you need to understand is collingwood and essendon came up with the idea.Collingwood and essendon put in all the hard work to selling the idea.

You really think the afl is going to take anzac day from us and give it to geelong and hawthorn whose members put together make up the whole members of one club?not happening.

You know why?Because the afl is all about money. Its not about supporters,its about money.Collingwood make the afl the most money.
That is why we get what we want.Its a powerful thing.

When you or geelong clock up 70+ thousand members then maybe you'll get things your way.