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There was a cruel sense of irony as the South Western light tower of the newly named UOW Jubilee Oval went dark, moments before the Round 10 clash between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Canberra Raiders.
As the Dragons took the field at their traditional home of Kogarah, the gloomy southern end of the ground at which they stood was an apt reflection of their strange 2016 campaign. Bleak. However, 85 minutes of typical grinding football that the Kogarah faithful has become so accustomed to, the men in red and white had somehow managed to secure another famous victory.
For the 9,467 in attendance, it won’t be a game forgotten any time soon. There was the classic St George Illawarra scramble defence, the frustrating misfiring attack, a handful of plays that only fan favourite Jason Nightingale could produce (including an incredible flick pass to gift Tim Lafai his first try as a Dragon).
There was a Raiders comeback threatening to steal a win at the death as they have done so many times versus the Red V since 2000. However all things considered, it sadly occurred to this Dragons fanatic that there might not be too many more memorable moments at this famous ground.
Despite the Dragons officials denying responsibility for the power outage (a nearby substation was blamed for the black out), they could not deny responsibility for the barely visible scoreboard, the ground’s (only) video screen faltering at the climactic conclusion, running out of hot food and certain beer by half time and the poor crowd figures – a trend that has plagued Kogarah since the Bennett years.
Fans can claim that it’s the scheduling (Thursday and Monday nights don’t suit Kogarah), or the opposition are primarily non-Sydney clubs, or the fact St George Illawarra have largely been out of form since the back end of 2011, or the ticket prices are too much. However the one fact that remains fixed across all these variables, is that the Dragons are playing, and they’re playing at Kogarah. Shouldn’t that be all this famous club needs to sell out this beautiful ground, the measly four times a year we get the opportunity to play there?
Since the wheels fell off the St George Illawarra wagon in 2012 and some could say only the ‘true believers’ remained, the crowd figures at UOW Jubilee have mostly bounced between 9,000 and 12,000. The odd outlier is when the Dragons find a flourish of form (13,029 versus Broncos, Rd. 7 2015) or a local derby (18,011 versus Sharks, Rd. 12 2015). However, when the Dragons play at ANZ (22,618 versus Tigers, Rd. 20 2014), SCG (24,368 versus Souths, Rd. 5 2014), or Suncorp Stadium (36,720 versus Broncos, Rd. 25 2014), the Red V are consistent crowd pullers.
The consistently poor crowds at Kogarah since mid 2012 compared to the consistently high crowds at major stadiums during the same time period point to a saddening issue. Fans no longer find the charm of suburban football alluring enough to get them through the gates.
The issue isn’t isolated to St George Illawarra either, with cross-town rivals the Wests Tigers continually turning in abominable crowd figures at Campbelltown and Leichhardt. The Tigers have recorded crowds of less than 10,000 on 15 occasions since the start of 2013 at their ‘traditional’ home grounds.
Similarly to the Dragons, have had significant support when playing at ANZ Stadium or the SCG.
It’s time to bite the bullet and turn the lights off once and for all at suburban grounds. The nostalgia of walking to a ground perched in the middle of residential Sydney with a sausage sizzle in hand is no longer what the fans want.
Suburban grounds are draining the balance sheets of the competitions less affluent clubs, not allowing the broadcasters to deliver the quality that their landmark rights deal deserves, and no longer providing the fans with a game day experience suited to modern standards.
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