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Sport's 2017 TV ratings tell a promising tale for rugby league fans

John Hollins new author
Roar Rookie
7th December, 2017
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Jarryd Hayne of the NSW Blues (AAP Image/Dan Peled)
John Hollins new author
Roar Rookie
7th December, 2017
115
2306 Reads

The TV ratings for 2017 have just been released again and once again, rugby league has emerged as a winner.

The top-rating TV shows in 2017 were dominated by sporting events, with State of Origin 3 coming out on top:

1. State of Origin Rugby League game 3 Queensland vs NSW (Nine) 2.521 million metropolitan only (3.705 million combined metro and regional, #1 overall)
2. Australian Open Tennis men’s final (Seven) 2.686 million (3.636 million, #2)
3. AFL Grand Final Adelaide vs Richmond (Seven) 2.715 million (3.562 million, #3)
4. State of Origin Rugby League Game 1 Queensland vs NSW (Nine) 2.371 million (3.562 million, #4)
5. AFL Grand Final presentations (Seven) 2.713 million (3.558 million, #5)
6. The Block winner announced (Nine) 2.523 million (3.553 million, #6)
7. State of Origin Rugby League Game 2 Queensland vs NSW (Nine) 2.402 million (3.513 million, #7)
8. NRL Grand Final Melbourne Storm vs North Queensland Cowboys (Nine) 2.308 million (3.378 million, #8)
9. Australian Ninja Warrior final stage (Nine) 2.227 million (3.199 million, #9)
10. Australian Ninja Warrior grand final (Nine) 2.158 million (3.076 million, #10)

I realise the Age in Melbourne re-ordered these stats to just show metro ratings, therefore giving the AFL the edge over rugby league, but surely the total ratings should matter a great deal more than the metro-only figures.

Regardless, the point of me writing this is there is still much life in rugby league – and plenty of scope for expansion. Half of Australians still prefer it over other sports on offer like AFL, rugby, and soccer.

The reason the crowds don’t go are many, but it’s when games are played at the country’s smaller grounds – suburban stadiums like Brookvale and Leichhardt Oval – where the game excels.

Big stadiums full of empty seats will kill rugby league and fans around the country need to fight the NSW government on their plans to rebuild Allianz and ANZ Stadiums. Rugby league and the NRL will continue to grow and, in my opinion at least, it is the better sport to watch on the box. It just needs to believe in itself more.

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