The Roar
The Roar

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The derbies' gravity threatens to contort the A-League

The A-League Sydney derby in Penrith is gonna be spicy. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
Expert
18th October, 2016
136
2368 Reads

Last weekend, 61,880 people watched the Sydney derby, raw, panting, in the flesh. This weekend, 43,188 people watched the Melbourne derby, dazzled, thrilled. These numbers – the former in particular – are encouraging in the extreme. Only one NRL game – the Grand Final – sucked in more breathless onlookers, and only eight AFL matches – four of them late-season finals ties – topped the Sydney derby crowd.

Although the NSL roots in Sydney are strong, coiled as they are around ethnic and cultural rivalries, twirling and snaking around a thrumming, pulsing heat that will always emanate from that part of the country, it still bears mentioning that the Sydney derby is a match played between two teams that have a combined age of 16 years. The fact that it’s the most ravenously supported tie in Australian football – inarguably comparable to the major ties in the other sporting codes – with two churning, fizzing sets of supporters is a fairly wondrous thing.

The Melbourne derby isn’t much older, and is now being contested by the best-supported club in the country, and the wealthiest. Last weekend was a marquee match, and the marquee player around whom the majority of the coverage revolved decided he’d treat us all to perhaps the greatest goal ever scored in the A-League, certainly the greatest debut goal. Tim Cahill’s ability to blindingly illuminate the moment, under the most oppressive scrutiny, has now smashed through legendary status, soaring further into Australian football folklore very much in the way his shot soared from 40 metres into the top corner of the Melbourne Victory goal. You’re already our greatest player, Tim, but by all means keep it up.

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Two weeks, two astonishing derbies. The fact that neither were particularly well-contested has been sort of brushed away, eclipsed by the events themselves. Now, let’s see, how long do we have to wait for the next one?

And herein lies the concern – the gravity of these grand derby contests appears to be sucking the life out of the rest of the A-League. There is serious concern surrounding the dribble of people who sloped into the McDonald Jones Stadium to watch Newcastle beat Brisbane 4-0 this weekend, just over 8000 souls. Newcastle’s backroom turmoil, especially their sacking of Scott Miller, might partially explain why people are reluctant to turn up, but it is still worrying that while the Sydney and Melbourne clashes are fizzing, the Jets are dragging down their average attendance numbers.

Following up on their raucous derby win, Sydney FC registered their second consecutive 4-0 triumph, defeating the insipid Mariners in front of a quarter of the crowd that saw their identical victory over the Wanderers. Yes, the Mariners are not exactly a draw-card, and appear to still be the closest thing to a guaranteed win in the A-League, but you would think that having tasted in Round 1 the sort of sweet victorious nectar that was largely absent from the second half of last season, the Sydney fans would be eager to sup once again. No, less than last season’s average attendance turned up.

It’s not acutely concerning just yet. Perhaps it’s simply a problem of perception. The noise coming from these derbies, along with Cahill Cam and the flare-hysteria revolving like satellite issues around them, is simply casting the rest of the league in a stale light, erroneously causing worry. Adelaide are the defending champions, and Perth will vie for a spot atop the table, so there are still powers in the league outside of the Sydney/Melbourne markets.

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We will have to wait and see how the club attendances evolve around the league generally this season. But, at the moment, the downtime we have to dawdle through between these derbies does feel a little boring. (Click to Tweet)

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