If Channel 9 or the NRL needed more convincing that Friday night football should be shown into Melbourne then hopefully they have finally got the message following the success of the ANZAC Test.
30,000 fans attended the new AAMI Park for the Australia and New Zealand match which was shown live and watched by 257,000 fans in the city.
I think the old saying that “nobody in Melbourne cares about rugby league” has now run its course and it’s time the administrators finally, after 12 years of the Melbourne Storm in the competition, get serious about
broadcasting the game into the southern capital.
It was a winner for rugby league in the ratings with the match watched by over 560,000 fans in Sydney
and just shy of 400,000 fans in Brisbane. Adding in the Melbourne figure, the match was the third most watched show of the night with over 1.2 million people watching.
Yes, Better Homes and Gardens out-rated the match Friday night, but I think the fact the game still achieved over 250,000 fans shows the public in Melbourne do actually like to watch the game.
The issues in the game at the moment aren’t good, obviously, but we have to remember the game has withstood a lot more than what’s happened with the Storm.
The great line “if you build it they will come” was certainly on show Friday night in the rain. But perhaps for the NRL
the message is “if you show it live they will watch”.
Luke
Guest
No, and I don't think that ever happened at the MCG. I just googled this, and your stupid post was the only thing that came up.
Juanita
Guest
Just a pity we Vics dont get the same rights when it comes to coverage, they will take our money but give us nothing in return!!!! And the nothing will totally disappear you only have to look beneath the surface ....... something not quite right here????
Juanita
Guest
Here we have a number of businessmen who as you say dont know how to grow a business and gain greater market share. And television rights for NRL coverage in VIctoria when at almost every game there is largely a full house? Question is, what is the agenda, the real agenda with all of this? And whose agenda?
Crayfish
Guest
I simply don't understand people who say things like 'the Melbourne experiment has failed'. Melbourne have higher average crowds than other one-team cities like Newcastle, Canberra, Auckland, North Queensland (all located in league strongholds), draw fantastic television ratings when actually put on tv, and have been a fantastic team (despite the salary cap scandal). Why would it possibly make sense to abandon rugby league in Melbourne now that they have an outstanding new stadium, over 10,000 members (how many do the Roosters have???) and some of the most recognisable superstars in rugby league (and Australian sport as a whole)? The NRL "think tank" deserve to be shot if they allow them to die.
Rob C
Guest
Yeah, but you don't have the AFL in your backyard constantly beating their chest about how good their game is and how big their crowds always are.... I was interested to see if a head to head at Melbourne would impact on the AFL. Apparently by the look of the crowd at that game and the subsequent TV ratings it did have an impact. Its good what a bit of healthy competition can do in a City. More of this please channel nine....
King of the Gorganites
Guest
ive heard the same thing. i think Oikee was showing his anit-nsw bias!
Heke
Guest
how do you count a crowd of 25,000 or 45,000 in a 80,000 capacity stadium? so far thats over 50 mates this year you mention.
Heke
Guest
some really paranoid rugby league fans from australia. who the hell would flick the channel over just to see the crowds? im from nz bro and we dont care if rugby league gets 2000 to a warriors game or not.
M1tch
Guest
i heard a rep from homebush say its their best selling for a number of years - hopefully the fans are onto something that NSW will win this year :)
M1tch
Guest
come on mate, no code was please
Spencer
Guest
Counting the crowd is about the most exciting part of watching AFL!
Son of a Gun
Roar Rookie
The AFL do not count the crowd, the MCC do. Interesting that you just flicked over..... to count the crowd !!.
Rob of Wollongong
Guest
I agree, I flicked the TV over to check out the crowd and could not see hardly anybody in the crowd. Would have been lucky to have 25k at most. Matt you should know that the AFL is all propaganda. Just look at how they talk up GWS and how they think they can just poach league players left right and centre for their teams. Riding of the back of leagues popularity is all this sport is good for.
MattS
Guest
I am also convinced the AFL are inflating crowds big time also. On friday they announced 45,000 for the demons v bulldogs game at the MCG. A mate who is a member and attended cos his missus was involved in the charity event, said the crowd was definately half that or less! i imagine they would have been embarrassed that the league crowd outdrew them.
Ian
Guest
Both the Competition and the Melbourne sporting public need each other. The alternative is to have AFL force fed with no alternative, which isn't worth thinking about (and probably what you are getting out west). The Melbourne experiment has far from failed. What Gallop, and the NRL need to do is move a couple of clubs out of Sydney or introduce a couple of new teams and I believe Perth should be the next cab of the rank. There are plenty of expat's in WA whose first love is not AFL and the NRL would do well to capitalise on this. Sadly though the NRL are full of NSW / QLD diehards who don't give a toss outside of their postcodes. An Independent commission is needed urgently!
Ian
Guest
Jim Was just going to paste these in myself! Fantastic figure for Rugby League in Melbourne when you consider the Sydney Swans vs Geelong match was a top of the ladder clash well promoted and with Mothers day commitments for a vast majority of families wouldn't have helped. One has to ask the question why Channel Nine continue to hoard this game outside of NSW / QLD. As M1tch alludes to the usual response of “nobody in Melbourne cares about rugby league” has well and truly run its course. If these figures along with Friday nights effort were added onto the national tally, the rugby league would be Australia's number one sport (and we haven't included New Zealand here). This weekends effort head to head against the AFL in Melbourne will have valued the Rugby League beyond any other sport. Administrators of this game need to wake up, stop undervaluing the TV rights, artificially restricting players salaries and confidently sell the game moving forward. The players and fans have done their bit!
Jim Wilson
Guest
Sunday's TV Ratings: http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_who_we_are_77.html#comments 21 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 605,000 250,000 90,000 265,000 24 HOUSE Ten 539,000 114,000 201,000 84,000 61,000 79,000 30 COMPASS-GALILEO ABC1 309,000 121,000 83,000 35,000 39,000 31,000 39 WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? SBS ONE 232,000 37,000 97,000 38,000 19,000 40,000 54 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 7: ADELAIDE VS RICHMOND Seven 157,000 Not shown Not shown Not shown 157,000 Not shown 144 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 7: GEELONG VS SYDNEY Seven 56,000 56,000 Not shown Not shown Not shown Not shown 240 SKIPPY - THE BUSH KANGAROO -RPT Nine 25,000 11,000 3,000 2,000 4,000 6000 316 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL LATE Nine 6,000 Not shown Not shown Not shown 2,000 4,000
King of the Gorganites
Guest
Really. My sources in Sydney tell me they have sold 95% of tickets for game 1, and 87% of tickets for game 3. do u know different?
King of the Gorganites
Guest
I keep saying it - the Storm need to be relocated to Perth. The Melbourne experiment has failed. Us contact sport lovers over here in Perth are crying out for another team .Even me as a rugby supporter would like to see a league team in Perth. League is a thousand times better then AFL. Its time that Gallop and the other losers at the NRL make the hard decsion and relocate the Storm to Perth. KoGS
oikee
Guest
Dont get to excited, NSW cant even sell-out a origin game. I think playing 2 games in Sydney should be abandoned, you need demand to outstrip supply. Not to mention the selections of the team. Mate, you need Hindmarsh, and Indris in the team. These guys are the players people want to watch. NSW could not sell-out chook raffles, time for origin to be taken around the country and to NZ,. The grand final also should go to the highest bidder, its becomming embarressing for rugby league. Why let Sydney pay 500 thousand to hold the game, and other states want to start the bidding at 5 million.? We really need someone in charge ready to make hard decessions or the game will dry up in its own cocoon. You guys can say what you like, but these muppets are killing the game. You all moan about rugby league not having money, well every money making idea is squashed by these fools.