The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

The Derby derby: Is Sydney bigger than Melbourne?

22nd October, 2014
Advertisement
Melbourne City take on Melbourne Victory for the re-branded club's first-ever Melbourne derby. (AAP Image/Joe Castro)
Roar Guru
22nd October, 2014
72
1186 Reads

A week after the the goals, the amazing crowd scenes, the noise, and the controversy of the latest instalment of the all-Sydney clash, the focus shifts to Melbourne for the southern state’s derby.

As usual whenever a big sporting event happens in either Sydney or Melbourne, fans in each city claim their version of the game is better.

Be it AFL versus NRL, the MCG versus ANZ Stadium, or which Test match means more, Melbourne versus Sydney will always be among the greatest sporting rivalries in Australia.

The rivalry extends to each city’s A-League derby.

Sydney FC took the points in a game that had almost everything this past Saturday, in front of a sold-out crowd.

It’s a hard act to follow, and the Melbourne derby may be the only fixture capable of matching it in terms of passion and rivalry.

Social media this week has full of barbs sent between the major sporting cities. Sydneysiders point to the fact that last year’s derbies failed to live up to expectations, while Melburnians have made it very clear that the expected crowd number at Etihad will eclipse the Allianz Stadium crowd.

There is no doubt the Melbourne derby is as passion filled and as heartfelt as the Sydney derby, but is it as big an occasion?

Advertisement

The short answer is no.

The Western Sydney Wanderers have been the A-League’s great success story. A team that no one gave a shot of qualifying for the finals went all the way to the big dance in their first season, capturing the Championship before succumbing to the might of the Central Coast.

Melbourne City, formerly known as the Heart, have not obtained the success, or captured the fanfare of the Wanderers.

The Melbourne Victory are arguably the biggest club in the A-League. Their history is full of success and their membership numbers are larger than many far-more established NRL sides.

They have rivalries with almost everyone. Their rivalry with Adelaide United was the original ‘derby’ in the short history of the A-League. Their games against Sydney FC have become legendary, including the most heated grand final in memory.

Fans of the A-League hoped that Melbourne Heart’s takeover and change in name to Melbourne City would see their fans to turn up en masse. Unfortunately a crowd of only 15,171 turned up to see superstar David Villa once again save the points for the newly named club against the Newcastle Jets.

That said, considering the crowd numbers recorded late last year, this is a huge improvement and should be celebrated.

Advertisement

Unfortunately there are two factors working against the fixture. First is of course the news that David Villa has returned to the States and will miss the game. The second is that the game will be played at the same time as the first leg of the Wanderers’ Asian Champions League final.

Despite these factors, the game could be the most hotly contested in history. Both squads have improved on last season, and incredibly the current derby stats show four wins to each side, with four draws. City have one goal more than the Victory in the fixtures.

The Victory will be absolutely smarting on the back of a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of the team they consider to be ‘little brother’ in last year’s final derby. City will be looking to secure their first win of the season after two one-all draws.

This game has all the ingredients to be an absolute classic.

Melbourne City, through rebranding and clever recruitment, have set themselves up as genuine contenders this season, which makes this upcoming fixture all the more enticing.

47,000 or so fans will be there at Etihad on Saturday night to see two teams that are yet to lose a game this season battle it out for bragging rights, and more importantly, three competition points.

Although in the past the Melbourne Derby may not have lived up to the hype of its Sydney counterpart, this Saturday’s game may be the first step in solidifying it as the derby in the future.

Advertisement
close