Do Giants need to fire first shot in West Sydney?
Columnist By Ben Somerford, 29 Sep 2011 Ben Somerford is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- AFL, Greater Western Sydney, NRL
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A few days out from the AFL Grand Final you’d think all the attention would be on the game, right? Wrong, following GWS chief executive Dale Holmes slip-up where he revealed a club request to see the Giants face city-rivals Sydney Swans in a stand-alone Round One fixture up against the NRL’s opening weekend of games in 2012.
Let’s make it clear, this isn’t official at this stage. The AFL are yet to ratify it.
Let’s also make it clear that it is GWS’s request rather than the AFL’s idea.
It’s a bold move for the Giants to be so open about this, as they try to break into the western Sydney market.
The plan is almost a declaration of war against their rival code, as they try to land the first blow.
The 2012 AFL season was expected to begin on the final weekend of March, a week after the NRL. Some may argue that week’s advantage would give the NRL the upper-hand in the region. That’s debatable although the Swans’ crowds have traditionally started off slowly.
GWS’s request would see them play on March 24 against the Swans in a stand-alone fixture sure to garner maximum attention, before the rest of the competition kick off a week later.
It would be a first for the AFL to stagger the start of the season in such a fashion.
But once again, the AFL hasn’t confirmed this and, in my opinion, won’t go ahead with this as its doomed as a bad idea.
Firstly, as we saw with the Gold Coast Suns this season, it’s going to be very, very difficult for the new club to be competitive in their opening year, let alone their first game. A 100-plus-points Giants defeat in their glamour opening round fixture wouldn’t be a good look for the AFL. Quite the contrary really.
As well, the Giants’ debut game should already have plenty of hype and an element of novelty about it, ensuring it will garner plenty of attention whenever its played and whoever its played against.
The Sydney derby when the Giants take on the Swans for the first time, will also naturally grab plenty of attention, so why waste that in Round One?
Those two matches represent the potential for two blockbusters for GWS and they’ll need everyone of them as they try to find their place in their tough market.
Indeed, the AFL saved the Queensland derby until Round 7 this year, whilst scheduling a big-drawing Victorian club, Carlton, for Gold Coast’s debut game. You fancy they’ll take a similar tack with the Giants.
As well, the idea of taking on the NRL’s Round One is surely a divisive proposal, as in many ways it signals a code war. It has the potential to alienate league fans in the region who may have flirted with the idea of supporting the Giants.
In this context, the Giants request is curious. The question to be asked, is why they feel they need to make a big impact in Round One?
The Swans’ history of slow early-season crowds could have something to do with it, along with the fact they will want to make people aware of them in the region as soon as possible, thus opted to start with a bang.
But do they need to start the season with a bang, or can they build it up slowly? It’s probably a question for the people of the region.
GWS CEO Dale Holmes, though, has made it clear the stand-alone fixture “is his preference”.
However, given both aforementioned sides of the argument for the stand-alone Round One game, it doesn’t seem the right path to go down.
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- AFL, Greater Western Sydney, NRL
September 29th 2011 @ 7:33am
mds1970 said | September 29th 2011 @ 7:33am | Report comment
The Giants have been a long time in preparation, and I can understand why Dale Holmes would be keen to get into it and get the Giants going as quickly as possible.
The early start’s not a bad idea, although it would be hard to build any form of momentum if they’re then having a bye when everyone else has their opening round.
As for the first up opponent, I wouldn’t want to play the Swans first up. A high-profile blockbuster to open the season would make sense. And, with the Giants sure to use the media to build up as much publicity as they can, there’s sure to be plenty of curiosity value about their first game which should attract a strong crowd. But I’d prefer to hold the derby as an ace up our sleeve for later in the season.
If I was doing the AFL draw, the opponent I’d give to the Giants for their first game would be someone with a following in Sydney, but not the Swans. With the Kevin Sheedy connection, I think Essendon would be the ideal round 1 opponent.
September 29th 2011 @ 9:42am
Macca said | September 29th 2011 @ 9:42am | Report comment
This isn’t so much about getting the game at round 1, it’s about talking about getting a game in round 1, getting articles like this written in the Sydeny papers to remind people that GWS exists.
Of course the AFL aren’t going to allow a stand alone game which would result in a the week before the real season starts being filled with talk of just how bad the GWS are and will they win a game.
I can see the AFL giving GWS ther first game against the Suns to try and put off the floggings for another week, especially after the Suns belting by the blues took the gloss of that franchise pretty quick and as pointed out in the article ROund 1 should be a big crowd regardless.
September 29th 2011 @ 10:11am
TomC said | September 29th 2011 @ 10:11am | Report comment
I agree with the point made in the article. I also think that the AFL needs to have some subtelty about penetrating the GWS market. Most of their potential supporters already support another code, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to force them to choose between entrenched teams and the new boys. Better off trying to build support over time, rather than taking the NRL head on.
September 29th 2011 @ 10:41am
Marc said | September 29th 2011 @ 10:41am | Report comment
I agree, shouldnt expose the Giants on their own to be flogged. I also think a better game for the giants, just from a PR point of view and marketing would be The Master vs The Apprentice GWS vs Essendon.
September 29th 2011 @ 12:46pm
alij said | September 29th 2011 @ 12:46pm | Report comment
I say do it. The AFL doesn’t need NRL fans to succeed, fears about alienating or offending them are overblown. The NRL has been running a hate campaign against the AFL for years, if not decades. Either people have bought into their propaganda by now or they never will. The NRL has painted itself into a corner of small minded parochialism that is repulsive to everyone but NRL fans. Provoke the NRL, let them pour out their hate, it works to the AFL’s advantage.
September 29th 2011 @ 1:47pm
Tony said | September 29th 2011 @ 1:47pm | Report comment
GWS are looking to attract non-NRL supporters, so the idea of going up against NRL is a side issue. All part of the Sydney code battle!
September 29th 2011 @ 2:29pm
Phil said | September 29th 2011 @ 2:29pm | Report comment
Maybe they will play Giants vs the Suns – two teams who are likely to struggle, the Giants will be underdogs at home, and fans will get to see K vs Izzy…
September 29th 2011 @ 2:50pm
Chris said | September 29th 2011 @ 2:50pm | Report comment
The Giants are going to get flogged pretty much regardless of who they play. The one exception being Gold Coast. So I don’t think holding off playing the Swans until later in the season will be a particularly good idea. And with the result likely to be so lop-sided I would have held the game at the Showground (assuming it will be ready in time?). A full 25,000 at the SHowground would have a much better atmosphere than 30,000 at ANZ Stadium – which is all they’ll get I think…
September 29th 2011 @ 5:35pm
stabpass said | September 29th 2011 @ 5:35pm | Report comment
I would have thought that the first, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and about 100 more shots had been fired by the paranoid Sydney press, before this alleged shot was fired back.
By the end of next season, it would not suprise me, that GWS was pulling bigger crowds than most NRL sides in Sydney.
BUT IMO, the GWS/Swans game should noy be played earlier, but at about round 5, Essendon would be a good first up opponent, because of the Sheedy factor.
GWS has of course offered Penrith RL club use of their facilities, after Phil Gould went off his nut about Australian football.
September 29th 2011 @ 8:40pm
Guido said | September 29th 2011 @ 8:40pm | Report comment
I dont think GWS will need to win too many in the first season. They will be the underdog obviously. I ve been to a couple GWS games this year and it appears to be a bit of a party atmosphere, sydney folk with a love of assie rules, whether it is homegrown or imported. I’m a Crows fan living in Sydney but I’ll happily go to a few Giants games next year. Only worry is that ANZ might kill that atmosphere.
September 30th 2011 @ 6:00pm
The Cattery said | September 30th 2011 @ 6:00pm | Report comment
I’ve been to two giants games, been like a bit of bush footy, good fun, listen to Sheeds and choco at quarter time breaks.
October 2nd 2011 @ 1:48pm
steve sharpe said | October 2nd 2011 @ 1:48pm | Report comment
love lurking at the quarter time huddle in local footy. so good